Happy Holidays to Friends of Friends of Friends

"Happiness is like a stampede.
Nicholas Christakis, a professor at Harvard University suggests that whether you're happy depends not just on your own actions and behaviors and thoughts, but on those of people you don't even know."

Happy people are often found at the center of social networks
and have many friends who are also happy. Friends or siblings who live
nearby increase people's chances of being upbeat, and happiness is
thought to spread outward by three degrees, to the friends of friends
of friends.

"Every friend increases the probability that you're at the center of a
network, which means you are more eligible to get a wave of happiness,"
was one researcher’s conclusion.

Here's to that wave! I received this message from the Superintendent of my new school. I love it! I haven't gotten into the Facebook thing for several reasons, but maybe I should. Even my own mother has a Facebook page! Happiness and friendship are the themes of my message this year. I am currently teaching 7th grade English and Humanities in Highland Park, IL. It's as if someone said, "Let's create the perfect job for Suzanne. We'll create a class where kids read high quality literature and discuss it and we'll throw in some grammar. We will also have one of the classes be for gifted/high ability learners." Well, that is what happens. I have always loved what I do but I think I'm "home" now. I love the 12-13 year olds, I love literature and my training in Gifted Education is once again being put to use. I love the people I work with and felt like I fit in from day one. It took some time but I've found happiness and friendship. What a gift I've been given!

Joe is the Director of Jazz Studies at Augustana College. This school is in Rock Island (practically Iowa) so he stays there 2 nights a week. He has never taught before and is learning all kinds of new things. To this I say, "Welcome to my world." I am not sure he has found his niche yet. He is a performer through and through and is still struggling with not playing as often as he'd like. He does odd gigs here and there but not enough to satisfy his artistic spirit. However, he has hooked up with friends from the Air Force Bands, college, and even his high school band director. Friendship prevails!

We haven't done the extensive traveling that we used to do but we did go to Door County, Wisconsin. It's a beautiful part of our country complete with vineyards, quaint shops, water sports (we went kayaking), bike paths, etc. It is about 3 hours from our home and was an easy drive. Remember, you could plan a vacation to this area and use our home as a stopover point. OttCo Travel Agency is here to please. Here is a link to Door County: http://www.doorcounty.com/

So to all of you I say, Happy Holidays to you and your friends and your friends of friends.