Happiness Is...

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

Mel asked us to define what happiness means to us. While it may seem to be a simple question, it is actually something I've pondered all night long. I get joy from lots of things: sipping a frappacino, reading a good book, laughing at a joke, volunteering for charity, cuddling with my husband, spending time with family and friends, buying the perfect outfit that makes me feel sexy. The list could go on and on. But what is true happiness? Is it a culmination of all of these things? Or is it something completely different?

Happiness is being content in your current state. Wanting what you have as opposed to having what you want.

I have come to believe that happiness is not something you seek out. It is not the sum of your wants or things that temporarily bring comfort or gratification.

Instead, I believe happiness is being content in your current state. Wanting what you have as opposed to having what you want. Being able to realize and appreciate who you are right now and what you have in your life.

As in the quote above, you can only achieve true happiness if you can be at peace with yourself - be able to sit for a moment and enjoy what you have without running toward your perception of happiness - whether that be wealth, success, fame, etc.

This does not mean that you won't have your temporary ups and downs. It is all about balance. Like a seesaw. You will have your high highs (marriage, graduating college) and your low lows (infertility, the loss of loved ones). But when it is all said and done, happiness is accepting and being content with the good and the bad. After all, without the bad, you couldn't really appreciate the good, right? How could you recognize happiness if you were never unhappy?

I spend a lot of my time chasing the butterfly that consists of my hopes and dreams and wants. It is hard for me to be content in my current state, without the family I've always imagined. In order for me to achieve happiness, I have to learn to appreciate what I do have and maybe...just maybe...if I can take a step back...maybe that butterfly will land on me.