The Happiness Jar

Welcome to another of my stories.

In this story, Jake is dreading the school summer holiday as he always feels so bored. He would rather be at school with his friends every day of the year. But when his mum gives him an empty jam jar, the summer holiday suddenly becomes quite exciting.
Listen to my story to find out why.

Thank you for all your kind messages and continued support. Please leave any suggestions you may have for my new stories.

Transcript

Hello,

My name is Jacqueline and I am a very proud grandma.

I write stories for my grandchildren and I'm very happy to share them with you too.

So make yourself comfortable because the next story is about to begin.

Jake loved going to school.

He loved learning and he loved playing with his friends at break times.

He had always loved school from the first time he walked into the classroom when he was 4 years old and now he was 9,

He still enjoyed it.

Every day he discovered new things which amazed and intrigued him and with so many children to spend time with,

The days simply flew by.

But the weekends were a different story.

Jake hated the weekends.

Why can't I go to school every day?

Asked Jake one morning.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed sulking.

Because your teachers need a rest,

Replied his mum as she gathered Jake's dirty clothes to wash.

Why are your socks never in your wash bin but always around the outside of it?

She inquired.

Because I don't have a good aim,

Replied Jake.

I never have been much good at throwing,

He grumbled,

Remembering how his friend Denny could make the smallest piece of paper fly straight into the waste paper basket at school first throw.

Well keep practising and think more positively,

Said mum,

Her arms now full of dirty clothes.

Jake picked up a stray sock,

Rolled it into a ball and threw it towards his wash bin.

It went straight into it.

There you go,

Said his mum smiling,

Now grab it out and bring it downstairs with your dirty pyjamas so I can wash them.

Reluctantly Jake did as he was told,

All the while thinking about how he could make the day a bit more exciting.

Weekends were so boring.

Dad always washed the car and done the gardening,

Whilst mum tackled the housework and laundry.

At school Jake had friends to play with,

But on the weekends his friends were all busy doing things with their own families.

Sometimes Jake helped his dad to wash the car and mow the lawn,

But more often he stayed in his room playing on his computer games.

School was always exciting and interesting.

Being there made Jake feel happy inside.

His teacher Mr Squibb was funny and made learning exciting.

I wish I had a teacher like Mr Squibb when I was at school,

Said Jake's dad one evening after Jake explained what they had learnt in school that day.

My teachers were all serious.

It was hard to concentrate and learning was never enjoyable.

I couldn't wait for the summer holidays to come round so I could have weeks of fun at home.

Jake screwed his face up as he said,

I hate summer holidays more than I hate weekends.

They are so boring.

I would rather be at school with my friends than at home being bored.

Jake was dreading the summer holiday which was getting closer.

They only had one more week at school and then he would have weeks of boredom to endure.

Jake tried not to think about it,

But all too soon the day he had been dreading arrived.

It was the first day of the long summer holiday from school and to make things even worse it was raining.

I'm so bored,

Whimpered Jake as he sat looking out of the kitchen window whilst pushing his cornflakes around in the bowl in front of him.

Why don't you finish your breakfast,

Go and get dressed and then find that new set of Lego you had for your birthday last month.

I'm sure you will have fun building it,

Said his mum.

Jake done as he was told.

After all,

He couldn't think of anything else to do.

He sat at the kitchen table and looked at the Lego box.

It was a set of three vehicles to build,

A police car,

A fire engine and a lifeboat.

Which one are you going to build first,

Asked his mum.

Jake thought for a moment and then chose to make the lifeboat.

OK,

Said mum,

There should be a book in the box which will give you the instructions for the build.

Together they opened the box and found the instruction book.

Jake took out the relevant bags,

Each filled with different colours and shapes of Lego and poured them onto the table.

There is a lot of pieces,

Exclaimed Jake,

Wondering how so many different bits of plastic could possibly end up looking like a lifeboat.

Yes,

There are,

Agreed his mum.

But by following the instructions step by step,

You will have the lifeboat built in no time.

Now,

Here's step one,

She said,

Opening the booklet to the appropriate page before placing it on the table so Jake could see it clearly.

Just take your time and if you get stuck,

Ask me for help.

I'll just be over here making a cake.

Jake looked at the Lego before him.

He liked a challenge and there really wasn't much else he could do on this rainy day.

He looked at step one.

The instructions were made up of pictures.

It showed the necessary pieces of Lego needed to complete the step and how to join them together.

With all thoughts of being bored cleared from his mind,

Jake set to work.

A while later,

He had completed the lifeboat.

That's great,

Said mum,

Full of praise.

You have done an amazing job.

Oh,

Thanks,

Mum,

Said Jake,

Pleased with himself.

It was a little tricky in places,

But I just took my time.

I quite enjoyed doing it.

I think I'll build the police car now.

Why don't you stop for a moment and we can have lunch before you do that,

Suggested mum.

I've made some sandwiches and the cake is cooling down nicely.

It didn't stop raining all day,

But Jake had fun building the three Lego vehicles.

That night,

As mum tucked him into bed,

Jake said,

It was fun today,

Mum,

But I can't build Lego every day of the holidays.

I know I will get bored again.

Don't even worry about that,

Said his mum.

I'm sure I will think of some fun things to do.

Now snuggle down and get some good sleep.

She kissed the top of his head and headed for the door.

Sleep well,

Jake.

I love you.

Jake snuggled under his covers.

I love you too,

Mum.

Good night.

As Jake's mum closed his bedroom door behind her,

Jake wondered what could possibly make his summer holiday from school not boring.

He sighed as he closed his eyes and thought about his school friends,

Wondering if they also had a feeling of dread with the coming weeks of holiday ahead of them.

The next morning,

Jake looked out of his bedroom window,

Relieved to see the rain had stopped.

He heard his mum talking on her phone as he went downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.

I will see if he wants to do that,

He heard his mum saying to the phone.

OK,

Thank you.

Bye.

That was Denny's mum,

Said Jake's mum,

Placing her phone on the kitchen table.

She asked if you would like to go to the beach with Denny one day.

Oh,

Yes,

Please,

Exclaimed Jake with glee.

Great.

I will call her back later and arrange a day.

Although Jake had the beach trip to look forward to,

The next few days seemed to drag.

I'm so bored,

Moaned Jake to his mum one afternoon.

School holidays are always boring.

We never do anything fun.

You had fun building your Lego the other day,

And we went to the cinema a couple of days ago,

Replied his mum.

Have you forgotten that?

Jake had.

All he could think about was this moment in time and the feeling of being bored.

We can't do things every minute of the day,

Jake,

Explained mum.

I have things I need to do around the house,

And Dad has to go to work.

Why don't you get some colouring to do or something?

Jake slumped off to his bedroom and found a new colouring book he had forgotten about.

He grabbed the new felt tip pens he had for his birthday and remembered how excited he had been to use them.

The memory excited him again as he sat down at the kitchen table and chose a picture of a spaceship to colour in.

That's good,

Said mum,

Looking over Jake's shoulder as he concentrated on his colouring.

Thanks,

Mum,

Said Jake,

Smiling.

I had forgotten all about this colouring book and these pens.

They really are great and colour so well.

Just like you had forgotten about the fun you had building your Lego and seeing the movie,

And I expect you have forgotten about the popcorn you gobbled up at the cinema.

Jake laughed.

Sorry,

Mum,

He said.

All those things were fun.

It hasn't all been boring.

Mum ruffled Jake's hair and then went in search of something in one of the kitchen cupboards.

I finished,

Mum,

Jake announced,

Holding up his picture for her to see.

That's great,

Said mum.

I think I'll do another one,

Said Jake,

Flicking through his colouring book to choose his next picture.

Mum came over to the table and put an empty jam jar down.

Why don't you do a drawing on a blank piece of paper to cover this,

She said.

Puzzled,

Jake asked.

What is that for?

Well,

I've been thinking of a way you can remember all the fun things you have and will do during these weeks you are off school.

Explained his mum.

But how is an empty jar going to help me?

Asked Jake,

Still puzzled.

Well,

Every time you do something which has made you feel happy inside,

You write it on a strip of paper,

Fold it up and pop it into the jar.

Then at the end of the summer holiday,

We will open the jar and read the pieces of paper together,

Which will remind us of all the fun things you will have done.

That sounds like a good idea,

Jake said joyfully.

And by doing this,

It will hopefully encourage you to find the joy in the things you are doing in the moment and search for fun things to do rather than focusing on feeling bored,

Which only leads to you missing your friends and school.

We can't change the summer holidays,

Mum continued,

Or make them go any faster.

But we can choose what we focus on and give attention to.

And if we make it fun,

The summer holidays will go by faster.

So at the end of every day,

You must remember at least one thing which made you feel happy and write it on a piece of paper.

But what if I do have a boring day?

Asked Jake,

Remembering how he felt in the last school holiday,

Wishing every day would hurry up and finish so he could go back to school.

There will always be one thing which will make you happy,

Explained his mum.

It could be something as simple as having a slice of my homemade cake or playing catch with dad in the garden.

If you want to look for happiness,

You will find it.

Jake remembered his mum's cakes and how delicious they tasted.

He had never thought about them making him happy,

But with this in mind,

He knew he was always happy munching into them.

And playing catch with his dad always made him feel happy,

Now he began to think about it.

He thought about today and realised that by doing his colouring,

He had felt very happy and content during that time.

Wasting no more time,

He found a blank piece of paper and set to work.

A while later,

He had finished.

Look mum,

He said,

Pleased with his work.

He had written my happiness jar in the centre of the paper and around the outside,

He had drawn Lego pieces,

Cupcakes and other things he was hoping to do during the summer holidays.

That is brilliant,

Said mum.

You have done a fabulous job.

Let me get some tape to attach it to the jar.

Job completed,

Jake smiled at his work,

Whilst his mum ripped strips of paper from an oak pad she had.

Handing him a couple of strips,

She said,

Write on each one the things you have already done which have made you feel happy.

Gleefully,

Jake grabbed the pen and set to work.

Then he folded each piece of paper carefully and popped them into the jar.

Screwing the lid back on,

He said,

This summer holiday is going to be more fun than I ever thought it could be.

The school summer holiday started to fly by.

Every evening before bed,

Jake took a strip of paper and wrote on it what had made him feel happy that day.

Some days he had more than one thing,

Like the day he went to his nan and grandad's and they had bought him his favourite chocolate and taken him on a surprise steam train ride.

And another day he went to his friend Reece's house.

That evening he wrote on many strips of paper because Reece lived on a farm and Jake had milked a cow,

Fed the sheep,

Cuddled a chicken,

Ridden on a tractor and enjoyed the biggest hot dog he had ever eaten,

Which Reece's dad had barbecued for them.

Each morning when Jake woke up,

He was excited for what the day would bring.

And each evening he looked forward to talking about his day with his parents and then writing down all the things which had made him happy.

Even on the odd rainy day,

Jake wasn't disappointed anymore.

Instead he found something fun to do in his bedroom so he had something to write down on a strip of paper that night before he went to sleep.

The day finally came when Jake went to the beach with Denny and Denny's mum.

When they arrived,

The beach had already started to fill with people,

Each family group finding a spot on the sand to set their towels and blankets out for a day of fun.

As Denny's mum Mandy began unpacking the bag she had brought along,

She said to the boys now make sure you can always see me and don't venture too far out into the sea,

Just paddle along the shoreline.

Although the water looks lovely and calm today,

The current underneath can catch you unawares at times and take you further out than is safe.

With the blankets and towels laid out,

Sun cream applied and bucket and spades ready,

The boys began their fun day.

They spent the morning building sandcastles and soon had surrounded their area with lots of wonderful castles,

Each decorated with shells,

Pebbles and bits of seaweed they found around them.

A few sandcastles were surrounded by small moats the boys had filled with water and other sandcastles they had designed with grand driveways up to the doors.

I expect you boys are hungry now,

Said Mandy reaching into a bag and bringing out sandwiches and sausage rolls she had prepared at home.

The boys tucked in,

Each as ravenous as each other.

There were crisps and grapes as well,

She said as she poured them each a cup of orange squash,

Just help yourself.

Before long,

All that was left was the crumbs and some grapes.

With full bellies and smiles on their faces,

The boys laid back on the blanket.

That was delicious,

Said Jake.

Thank you Mandy.

You are welcome,

Replied Mandy.

It must have been hungry work building all those different sandcastles.

I don't think I have ever made so many sandcastles,

Said Denny,

Sitting up and looking around at their handiwork.

You both worked very hard,

Said Mandy.

Why don't you go for a paddle and then we can go and get an ice cream before we go home.

Here,

Let me put some more sun cream on you both.

Protected from the sun,

The boys ran down to the sea and walked along the shoreline,

Enjoying the coolness of the water as it splashed around their legs.

Further out in the water they could see some people swimming.

Oh Jake,

Look at this,

Shouted Denny,

Bending down and pointing to something in the water.

It was a crab which scurried to the shoreline and then ran across the sand before disappearing into a tiny hole.

Suddenly,

The boys heard a commotion coming from the sea.

The people they had seen swimming earlier were waving their arms frantically in the air.

Before the boys could react to what was going on,

They heard a noise behind them as a lifeboat appeared.

Launching the boat into the water with ease,

The lifeguards swiftly jumped on board then manoeuvred the boat out to the distressed people in the sea.

As more people gathered around to watch,

It seemed to Jake and Denny that time had stood still as they all stood in silence,

Willing the boat to move faster.

But within minutes,

The people had been pulled into the lifeboat and were being brought safely back to shore.

Later,

As the boys sat talking about the incident with Denny's mum,

They soon learnt that one of the swimmers had become tired.

With the strong tide against them,

The other swimmers didn't have the strength to pull them back to the safety of the shore.

Then they all panicked and luckily an observant holidaymaker sitting on the beach had been quick to call the lifeguard and get the boat to them before they had gotten into serious danger.

We have to be respectful of the ocean,

Said Denny's mum.

It may look calm on the surface,

But you don't always know what is going on underneath.

Now that everyone is safe,

Who wants an ice cream?

Back home,

Jake told his mum about the events of the day.

The lifeboat saved that person's life,

He said to his mum.

At that moment,

They heard a siren outside.

As quick as a flash,

Jake looked out of the window and saw a fire engine going by,

Quickly followed by two police cars.

I wonder whose life they are going to save,

Thought Jake.

The emergency services are very important for all of us to feel safe,

Said Jake's mum.

We never know when we could need one of them.

They do such an important and much needed job,

Sometimes putting their own life in danger whilst rescuing others.

Jake fetched his Lego vehicles.

I never thought of a lifeboat as being one of the emergency services,

He said looking at them in a serious way.

But after seeing one in action today,

I think the lifeboat is just as important as the police car and the fire engine.

I think you are missing another very important vehicle,

Said his mum,

And she went into the hallway and came back with a carrier bag.

Here you are,

Jake,

She said,

Handing him the bag.

Jake opened the carrier bag and pulled out a new Lego box.

It's an ambulance,

He exclaimed with delight.

Yes,

Another important emergency service,

Said his mum.

It looks like rain tomorrow,

So you can build it then and add it to your collection.

All too swiftly,

The summer holidays came to an end,

And the first day of term arrived.

Jake was excited to go back to school,

Especially as he knew he was having Mr Squibb again as his teacher.

Sitting at their desks,

All of the pupils began talking and trying to catch up with each other.

The noise was getting louder and soon became quite deafening.

Mr Squibb came into the classroom,

But everyone was so busy talking they didn't see him.

He stood at the front of the class and stared straight ahead,

Not saying a word.

One by one,

The children began to notice him and nudging each other to be quiet.

The classroom soon became silent.

Welcome back,

Mr Squibb said,

Smiling,

And the noise erupted again.

This time,

Silence from Mr Squibb was not having an effect on the excited children,

So he clapped his hands together while saying in as stern a voice as possible,

Silence in class!

You could have heard a pin drop as all the children stopped talking immediately and faced their teacher.

Now,

He said in a calmer voice,

I know you have a lot to share with each other,

So let's do this one at a time.

Who would like to share their holiday story first?

Jake threw his hand into the air far quicker than any of the other children.

This was rather a surprise to Mr Squibb as he knew Jake didn't enjoy summer holidays,

And in the past,

Jake hardly had anything to say about them except they had been boring.

Jake,

Come to the front of the class and tell everyone what you have done this summer holiday.

Jake rummaged in his bag and pulled out his jar,

Which by now was filled with lots of pieces of paper.

That looks interesting,

Said Mr Squibb as Jake came and stood beside him.

But what does a jar filled with paper have to do with your summer holiday?

Proudly,

Jake shared the meaning of his happiness jar with his classmates,

Who were all amazed at the number of things he had done.

Mr Squibb loved the idea of the happiness jar and decided that he would use this as homework for each of the school holidays throughout the school year.

It really is a great way to focus and be appreciative of all the things you do in life,

Mr Squibb said.

Thank you for sharing that,

Jake.

Now,

Who wants to talk next?

Jake went back to his desk,

Proud of all he had done in the summer holidays.

He secretly couldn't wait for the Christmas holiday to come round and looked forward to filling his happiness jar with more strips of paper.

Thank you for listening to my story.

Before you go,

I'd like to ask you a question.

What things do you do in the school holidays which make you happy?

Thanks again for listening and come back soon for another story from Grandma.

Bye for now.

Reviews

I play with my brothers on school breaks . and it is so fun!😄😀👍💖 and also I love that story I loved how Jack found away to make himself happy but things don’t make you happy yourself makes you happy

This relates so much to me please keep making stories I love them! 📚

That was such a nice story
To answer your question I usually do this thing called the drama holiday workshop I also go out to my friends house and my grandparents live in Knysna so we go there a lot
From Sylvie and Jelly Bean

Great job, you’re amazing! Can you write about a pug named Sophie. My pug Sophie died in 2023 and I’m still sad every day. It would make my day if you made a story about a Sophie. (: