What Happiness Isn’t

We think happiness is something worth searching for. That it’s a sunny, unbelievable party with everyone/everything you’ve ever loved and wanted in a cul-de-sac. A dead-end that means that any unwanted emotion, such as sadness or loneliness, is just an unfortunate feeling stuck in the mud of our past. That these emotions can never catch up to us again, because we’re blinded by the yellow aura of everything going right in our lives: This is happiness

And this is exactly the problem.

We get so caught up in what the idea of happiness is, that we fail to see that it is always around us. That happiness isn’t a destination, it’s a road sometimes traveled by. Sometimes you go down the road, and sometimes the road is closed, so you take another route to where you need to go. But the important thing is that it’s always there.

Because when you think back to the times in your life where you felt on top of the world, you usually don’t remember them as full days. You remember how a seagull took a s**t on your friend’s head while it was flying overhead at the beach, and you laughed so hard that your lemonade came out your nose. Or how thankful you are that your mind has evolved- how you became mature enough to realize it’s a blessing to have the opportunity to go out to lunch with your Dad. It is no longer a lame endeavor that makes you want to hide your face behind the menu out of embarrassment.

What about that time you ran 3 miles when you previously couldn’t even run 1? That hot chocolate you got at that random local café wasn’t so bad, either.

When you recall these memories, what counts the most is when you string them together. A clothesline of moments, if you will. HAPPY moments. And if that isn’t great enough, think of how many clotheslines of happiness you’re a part of. Like that time you made your little cousin laugh when you hung her upside down. Or that time you sang so loud in the passenger seat that your friend couldn’t help but be happy about your enthusiasm. Remember that time you complimented a stranger on their hair? Well you’re part of their clothesline, too!

From this, we must remember that even during the times when we are trekking through the darkness, searching for that final destination to save us, that we are already there. Happiness is there, it’s something we’ve already obtained, and something we will forever obtain, so long as we let it in.