Of these age old reflections, I have been thinking about and feeling that abstract thing called happiness. The pursuit of happiness is in our declaration of independence. It is our right and by being included as a right, it reflects our desire for it. But what is it? Where will the pursuit lead us?
I have thought before that by comparing peace and happiness, I could gain a better grasp of happiness. I decided peace was an inner process. Outer reality can be in disarray, but finding peace is finding contentment and calm within oneself. Happiness on the other hand, I decided was when the orchestra of life came into the right balance; that life elements such as friendships, family, love, work and daily activities would balance and complement each other impeccably. This idea of happiness I conjured held the notion of "perfection." No wonder our right is the "pursuit" of happiness if I find myself, and others are likely too, to be seeking an only imaginable, flawless reality.
Life is ever changing and so are our perceptions and conceptions. I've thought lately how there are so many people pursuing happiness; there must be a way to find it in the reality of life rather than in seeking the optical illusion of the perfect life. I was walking up the stairs in my home the other day, and it hit me: my new conception of happiness. It hit me that I have a nice home to live in and that I have a wonderful man to share life with. Those realizations hit me and I felt happy. It's that simple. It doesn't take having everything in your life being perfect to make you happy. It takes realizing the elements in your life that are ideal and wonderful, and embracing them as reasonable and remarkable cause to pause, to smile, to sigh with contentment, and to say, "I'm happy."
