Happiness could theoretically be comprised of a healthy diet, a skinny body, the perfect dessert, several hours a week exercising, more sleep and longer naps, more money, better people, nicer in-laws, jobs with more fulfillment, families with less stress, increased leisure time, free concerts, 3 weeks every month away on vacation, wild romance, free beer (free of hangovers and stupidity), unbreakable beautiful cars, removal of health problems, no more fights or arguments, increase in education, a bigger house than the Joneses, and no more death.
But all these Vendors of Happiness didn’t bother to go back and edit their flyers. Think of all that work: I measure 8 hours of sleep a night and an hour of jogging and sit-ups every day, then I still have to count my calories and pack my lunch for my 7th year of college as I earn my PhD to be a psychologist in Honolulu so I can have the money to get me the Ferrari and waterfront property with 6 bedrooms, and I can’t forget to be planning the big perfect dream wedding with champagne fountains for after I graduate. And by the time I run my mile and have my smoothie and write my dissertation and go to the car dealership and mail my wedding invitations and put down my down payment and have my professionally-baked slice of tiramisu, I’ve forgotten why in the world I’m running myself ragged doing all this stuff.
The scenario is obviously unrealistic and simplistic, but I find myself in similar fruitless hamster wheels to achieve happiness. I’ll wake up one morning and decide I don’t feel good because I don’t exercise enough, by lunchtime I’ve decided it’s because I’m worried about my paycheck being too slender this month, and when I crawl into bed I conclude that it must be because my apartment is too small and messy.
What few people make known is that happiness is a side effect, not an achievement. And that it’s all about one thing rather than the accumulation of many, that one thing being gratefulness. Happy that I may walk in health even if it isn’t perfect. Content that I can afford rent and more than enough food. At peace because my apartment is cozy and in a very good location.
The world we live in, it’s busted. It’s amazing and its beautiful, but it's sick and broken. And sometimes we suffer its symptoms. Which means the odds of our lives ever being perfect for any length of time is highly unlikely, so if our happiness hangs on the stars aligning for us in order to call ourselves happy....dude. Our lives are going to suck.
Zoom in from the panoramic pessimistic view and focus on this moment; choose a ray of light to step into and bask in it. The bad isn't gone and the good may still be sparse, but count the pennies you do have and smile for now.
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