Happy Happy Joy Joy

By Bud Focht

Hi, my name is Bud and I am afraid that I’m not “such a happy Chewbacca!”

Certainly not as happy as that Texas woman who recently bought the Chewbacca mask and recorded a video of herself getting quite a big kick out of it.  The video was watched by over 50 million people during the first 24 hours it was on the internet this past weekend.

Me, I am afraid I have not been a very happy Wookiee.

There was a television cartoon on the Nickelodeon channel in the early ‘90s, when our kids were young, called Ren & Stimpy.  Ren was an emotionally unstable Chihuahua and Stimpy was a good-natured but stupid cat. They performed the ‘happy happy joy joy’ song and dance.

Some feel that ‘Happy happy joy joy’ was a tribute to folk, country and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer singer Burl Ives, since some of the lyrics are from some of the songs Ives sang.

Some feel ‘Happy happy joy joy’ is when the world expects you to put on this happy and joyful face when what you really want to do is scream, curse and cry. To make everyone happy even though your world is falling apart, you put on this mask of ‘happy happy joy joy’ while singing a silly song.

I guess I have been guilty of wearing a mask.

Not quite the Chewbacca mask, more like the one Eleanor Rigby kept in a jar by the door.

The British DNA in me has helped ‘keep a stiff upper lip’ the last two years, since my wife Terry was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease. I would have to admit, however, that the lower lip has been known to quiver from time to time.

One of Terry’s favorite music videos is Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart” and in it the country star complains that her mother is telling her “don’t matter how you feel, it only matters how you look. Go fix your make up, it’s just a break up, run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady. ‘cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together, even when you fall apart.”

I’ve been working hard to not fall apart, trying to keep it together. I really haven’t felt too much true happiness the last few years.  But there have been times when I was enjoying the moment, which has been my goal all along, to try to enjoy the moment and try not to think of the big picture.

Fortunately, this time of year is when those moments usually begin to get more and more enjoyable. And more and more frequent.

It is the end of May, my favorite time of year. My work load slows down, the weather turns nice and most importantly; I am home a lot more. Home with my Terry.

My wife Terry needs me more and more each day, needs help with more and more tasks.  When we are apart I worry about her quality of life. I know she gets nervous when she is alone. She calls me and asks me where I’m at? She doesn’t always understand why we are not together.

But when we are together, we laugh. A lot. Seeing Terry laugh is the greatest.

To me, it is so much better than the infectious laugh of the Texas woman wearing the Chewbacca mask. It truly makes me happy and gives me joy.

So as the warmer weather arrives I will be home more with Terry to enjoy it.

The other side of the coin, however, is that as the days grow warmer, with each passing day Terry’s cognitive skills decline more and more. This makes me worry about the future and, in turn, start doing the happy happy joy joy song and dance.

I never let Terry see me sad or upset. I need to be strong for her, to give her a sense of security. The best way for me to make her happy is to be happy myself. Or at least wear the mask of a happy person.

Happy happy joy joy.

Until next time, hope you can be as happy as the latest internet sensation, the woman wearing the Wookiee mask in Texas. She is such a happy Chewbacca!

Bud