How many times has the phrase \u201cI just want to be happy\u201d crept into your thoughts and tumbled out of your mouth? \u00a0Perhaps someone close to you has uttered these six words in the midst of their own \u201cunhappiness\u201d on an occasion or two, looking to you for the solution?<\/p>\n
But just what does<\/em> \u201chappy\u201d look like?<\/p>\n What images does the word \u201chappy\u201d conjure up for you? \u00a0Does it represent a state of being which so far life has kept from you like a callous game of keep-away? \u00a0Does your mind paint a pleasant scene of someone other than you skipping gleefully down a flowery stone path, indulging in an ice cream cone, and humming a joyful tune? \u00a0Is it in that perfect relationship that you envision and yearn to be a part of, the one that looks nothing like the relationships you are currently experiencing?<\/p>\n If you Google the word \u201chappy,\u201d the first image that pops up is a giant yellow smiley face. \u00a0Is that<\/em> what it means to be happy?<\/p>\n If not, what does<\/em> it mean to be \u201chappy\u201d?<\/p>\n And why do so many people claim not to experience it on a regular basis, if at all?<\/p>\n Our spiritual leaders teach us that a happy life is a peaceful life, doing what brings us joy. \u00a0Our parents tell us their only wish for us is that they want us to be<\/em> happy<\/em>. \u00a0But if we don\u2019t have any real concept of what \u201chappiness\u201d is, how will we even know if we ARE happy\u2026.or, for that matter, have any idea how to get there?<\/p>\n Maybe we are closer to a state of happiness than we actually think we are. \u00a0Perhaps we are simply hung up somewhere in that space between what we think<\/em> \u201chappy\u201d looks like and what happiness truly is<\/em>.<\/p>\n We have become a fun-seeking, happiness-producing society: \u00a0Take more vacations. \u00a0Engage in a hobby. \u00a0Go out for date night. \u00a0Ladies\u2019 night out. \u00a0Men\u2019s night out. \u00a0Eat more. \u00a0Drink more. \u00a0Play more. \u00a0Get more. \u00a0Do more. \u00a0Have more. \u00a0But what would happen if we valued no moment in life as more \u201cfun\u201d than another? \u00a0What if we perceived all of life as equally fun, equally meaningful, equally purposeful?<\/p>\n Maybe happiness isn\u2019t found in that which we think we are not doing enough of or in that which we think we are not getting enough of. \u00a0What if we considered the possibility that happiness is already there, always there, patiently waiting for recognition, quietly knowing its potential? \u00a0Perhaps happy is found in the deep sense of knowing that no matter what is taking place in my life right now, no matter how chaotic or discombobulated or challenging it may seem, that everything is occurring to serve my highest good and the highest good of all. \u00a0Could we accept the nonsensicalness of it all, at last experiencing the highest level of happiness, knowing that life does not have to be one continuous sweeping run of \u201cfun\u201d experiences unfolding before our very eyes?<\/p>\n Maybe happiness is experienced in loving exactly where you are<\/em>\u2026and not where you think you should be.<\/p>\n Maybe happiness is experienced in loving exactly what you have<\/em>\u2026and not in what you imagine yourself to lack.<\/p>\n Maybe happiness is experienced in loving exactly who you are<\/em>\u2026and not in who you think you are supposed to be.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t believe that happiness is reserved for a select few, nor is it earned or doled out to those who most deserve it. \u00a0It is experienced within our choice to BE it. \u00a0It is felt in companion with sadness and confusion. \u00a0It is known in the moments when life requires us to stretch the furthest and bend the most and love the deepest.<\/p>\n What does \u201chappy\u201d look like to you?<\/p>\n