I was once told that happiness is a relative thing, a transitory emotion that one cannot judge one's life by. There is truth to this, but it is not the whole truth, just as many generalizations are. There are recipes for happiness and the pursuit thereof. Not everything works for all people, but I've read again and again in many places that when happiness eludes you, you are actually eluding it.

The first recipe for happiness that I know works, at least for me, is 15 minutes of concentrated effort on being grateful. Genuine gratitude can start with being grateful for the air you breathe and can end with being thankful for the love of good friends. It can be frivolous, being grateful for the invention of pizza. It can be serious, being thankful for continued health.

Here are a few things that have made me happy, things that I am grateful for. If you'd like to add one or two, email me, and I'd be more than glad to add them. <s>

Happiness is...
...indulging in absurdity.
...hearing that you've made someone's day when they mistakenly thought you were smiling at them (when in fact, you were smiling at the person behind them).
...finding the perfect dress.
...soaking in the pool with a couple of giggling kids in perfect weather.
...reaching the end of months and months of technical problems with a software upgrade. It works! It finally works!
...getting up in the middle of the night and finding that you're not the only insomniac online. Who would have thought that you could still be witty at 2am?
...discovering that you really *can* be celibate for more than a few months without drastic physiological or psychological harm.
...driving through the Rocky Mountains. This is a much greater Happiness if you remember to get the V6 engine instead of the 4 cylinder, but it's still beautiful at a poky pace.
...baking a chocolate cake from scratch. It's a little less of a Happy experience when you realize that the cake tastes almost exactly the same as if you'd gotten it out of a box.
...trying to explain the difference between Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow to a five year old. "No honey, it's not yesterday. Today is today. Tomorrow will be tomorrow. Arrgh. No, in the morning, it will be tomorrow. Except that when you wake up, to you, it will be today and today will be yesterday." (No WONDER he's confused!)
...being a beeeeeeeeeeetch! (I know I have *arrived*...Lindy called me this! :-))
...a Dad who teaches you how to explode ketchup packets. (Shhhhh! don't tell Mom!)
...singing endless verses of 'The People on the Bus'. (You know, if you have a dirty mind, that song is pretty doggone racy!)


This stuff was fun, but I wanna see more stuff. Other stuff. Send me Mail!
jeniwren@compuserve.com

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