Children know how to bottle happiness long after its source has come and gone. How do I know this? By spending quality time with my four year old nephew.

Earlier in the year we had the privilege of celebrating my grandmother’s 80^th birthday, and as part of the special milestone my sister had ordered a delicious cake, snacks and balloons with tiny silver discs inside, amongst other things. Needless to say my cute little nephew hijacked his great-grandmother’s birthday. No surprises there.

Photos were taken, happy birthday was sung, pizza was devoured, and the cake was shared with neighbours. My grandmother’s day was made, and we were all filled with a sense of relief that we managed to make the eighty year old feel special.

Days after the birthday in question my nephew and I were playing with one of the balloons outside. As we kicked and smacked it about, I was wondering where this child gets his relentless energy from. In between fancy kicks and twirls, the balloon suddenly popped, showering the floor with dozens of little silver discs. Instead of crying over the demise of the balloon, my nephew unexpectedly shouted “Yay!” His face lit up like the party had just started. -According to his mother, this happened a couple of days ago with another balloon.

Somehow my nephew had recreated the festivity and genuine excitement we all shared just a few days ago. He had bottled that feeling from April 13, 2022, and let it loose when we least expected it. A natural genius! Now I need to mirror that experience in my own life, and figure out how I can bottle the special moments of celebration in my life so that I can recreate the joy at will whenever I want.