Life has never been better because for the first time in a long time, I have a puppy. He’s a 9 week old lab pup named Gibson (see pic during his first haircut which he needed b/c he got peed on by his 2 year old lab cousin Cooper).

Formerly a germ freak, I don’t care that Gibson was tongue-shining his cousin Cooper’s ballsack before jumping into my lap and licking me on the lips.  Always concerned with cleanliness, I’m the first to admit Gibson has left my condo looking (and sometimes smelling) like the upper deck men’s bathroom at an Oakland Raider game. Never would I have thought that watching in real-time a living being drop a deuce on my kitchen floor would actually provoke laughter if not the laughter of a desperate dog dad with limited knowledge on training a puppy.

My formula for happiness has been reduced to lying on the floor, getting licked and nibbled, and staring into the eyes of another being whose only worry in the world is to eat, play, and sleep.

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Govan Brown* was a local legend in New York City. A city bus driver for more than 20 years who retired in 1988, Govan drove over 220,000 miles and was almost always pleasant, cheerful, and personable. It might be hard to understand how Govan found all of the above in driving a bus through the worst possible traffic, but one man’s grid is another man’s labyrinth. Said his boss, “Govan so mastered being happy with himself, happy with life, and happy with people that nobody can touch him.”

Maybe you know someone (or maybe you are) like Govan Brown…lucky enough to have found their unique place in the world. A Harvard psychologist, Howard Gardner, researched those rare people who, like Govan Brown, have found overwhelming joy in seemingly underwhelming careers. There are 3 factors that go into finding such joy: Engagement, excellence, ethics.  Govan strived for excellence by entertaining his passengers with a lively monologue on the places they were passing and their history, alerts of great sales, his reviews of movies at theaters they passed and highlights of museum exhibits. Ever so engaged in his daily encounters, Govan was known to greet a toddler with a handshake, spend at least two minutes giving directions to a teenager, and wish just about everyone a nice day as they disembarked. His ethics and morals were without question. As deacon of a Baptist church, Govan viewed his passengers, too, as a “flock” whose needs he tended.

Lying on the floor yesterday morning practicing yoga,  Gibson, the tiny lab pup, began licking my face as if he hadn’t been loved in 30 years let alone his 9 weeks of life. Thanks to Gibson, I now understand Govan Brown’s secret. Life is less about climbing the  peaks and more about finding the grooves.

*Govan Brown info inspired by NY TIMES (11-15-08)