Let’s talk about happiness. We’ve been sold the idea that it comes after a certain “pursuit”. That it’s an end we reach using other means. The other day I was looking at the brightest, most colorful tulips you can think of, perfectly placed against a rustic wood wall. The color lover I am, these bouquets drew me in almost magnetically. On looking at the petals closely, however, I realized these were silk tulips: delicately handcrafted petals glued together to resemble natural flowers. Real or not, naturally occurring or not, these tulips had given me joy. They also taught me a lesson about this “quest” for happiness we subject ourselves to. Are we obsessed with finding a specific type of “happy” that conforms to a goal we’ve been sold? Are we allowing random discoveries to ignite unexpected moments of happiness? Are we missing out on the silk tulips for going after fresh ones? Are we sacrificing the joy of every other season in our lives for the momentary changes brought about by a single period? Me? I’m deciding to make this year about “happy” as a lifestyle, not an end goal. A means, not an end. A celebration of the real, not a comparison with the expected.
