Maybe Down Syndrome enthusiasm didn’t come from Down syndrome, but from Jack. I mean, everyone who has Down syndrome doesn’t display Down Syndrome enthusiasm.

A Lesson in Happiness, From Jack

“It’s Tuesday, Dad! Tuesday is Food Town Day!” So it is. Most people need a cup of coffee before they can even bring themselves to admit that it’s a workday, much less, one of those before hump-day gets here. I shuddered to think of the level of excitement Jack would be showing if he was a coffee drinker. Down Syndrome enthusiasm shows no limits and it is always recruiting. Thank goodness for our local small-town grocery store that has reached out to the special needs community to offer chances for employment and training.

Getting Down Syndrome enthusiasm going takes no more than the thought of bagging groceries and saying hello to friends.

When I asked what would happen at Food Town, today, Jack told me about time that most people would have a hard time getting excited about. He was going to help Alan bag groceries. Getting Down Syndrome enthusiasm going takes no more than the thought of bagging groceries and saying hello to friends. To Jack, a friend is anyone who will talk to him while he places their groceries in bags and puts the bags in the cart. Jack told me that Little Joe would be working in the Deli today. Little Joe is Jack’s friend, Autumn, who just can’t accept that she’s not the real, live Little Joe (the character played by Michael Landon in Bonanza). Jack’s and Little Joe’s co-workers are true friends to them, too, and they love the Down Syndrome enthusiasm that “rubs off” in the workplace.

Maybe Down Syndrome enthusiasm didn’t come from Down syndrome, but from Jack. I mean, everyone who has Down syndrome doesn’t display Down Syndrome enthusiasm.

You have heard me say in other articles that Jack is one of my mentors. Today, as he shaved and got ready to go to work, I was reminded of that. Why wasn’t I as excited about my day as Jack was about his? Why wasn’t I trying to make everyone my friend? Why couldn’t I focus on things I might do that could help others rather than considering mundane chores that awaited me? After all, Jack wasn’t thinking about chores and responsibilities. I started to think. Maybe Down Syndrome enthusiasm didn’t come from Down syndrome, but from Jack. I mean, everyone who has Down syndrome doesn’t display Down Syndrome enthusiasm. And I know a few people who don’t have Down syndrome that show just as much enthusiasm as Jack does.

I have been around enough people who have Down syndrome to know that a bonus chromosome doesn’t give them their own personalities, which are always individual and unique. Still, the condition does seem to have an effect. Most people I know who have Down syndrome wear their emotions like body builders wear muscles. Depending on the emotion they are feeling at any given time, that could be a good or a bad thing.

I guess that means there are several things I need to learn from Jack’s example, today, if I want it to make my own life better. First, I need to see the positive in everything possible. Going to work isn’t just going to work; it’s a chance I get to spend time with my friends. Doing my job isn’t just working, it’s a chance to help other people. And I’m not just spending time around other people. Every person I come in contact with is a potential friend. Those realizations will get me on the right track. Then I just need to apply enthusiasm like Jack puts barbecue sauce on ribs. That’s the part of Down syndrome enthusiasm I like the most. When you think you are enthusiastic enough, you are just getting started. Because there is never too much happiness; or barbecue sauce.

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