Fix For Happiness

"Happiness is like a butterfly which,

when pursued, is always beyond our grasp,

but, if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you." 

Nathaniel Hawthorne

We can catch a glimpse of happiness, and our painful thoughts fade away. We can be appeased by observing simple pleasantries surrounding us, but unfortunately, there are times we desire greater grandeur.

As the underbelly of happiness is often lined with unrealistic expectations of pleasure, any form of distraction can become an addiction.  When  our driven search for happiness is not fulfilling, we forge into  empty corridors of false living through excessive exercise, eating, drinking or inappropriate sex.  We may exhaust ourselves, but still not find our fix for happiness.

Our complex plans for happiness frequently are beyond our grasp or projected too far into the future.  We can continue to overstretch until we fall into darkness or we can simply stop searching, allowing the essence of happiness to come to us.  Simplicity can be happiness: catching a snowflake with our tongue; watching a fire fly dance in darkness; listening to a child caught up in imagination; or resting our hollow bones against a vibrant tree.  Be still and gather silence, as happiness will surely follow.