Happiness: Pervasive and Perpetual

What does happiness look like? Pink: wispy, magical, sugary goodness like a puff of cotton candy. The shininess of a Mylar balloon, floating calmly above the excitement and laughter of celebrating children. The perfect semblance of wind and water as a line of surfers, anticipate their next wave. Finding 'flow,' the transformation of thought into purpose, forgetting problems or adversity and losing yourself in the moment. The locality of desire, determination and direction. Yes, happiness is visual and colorful. But, happiness is not merely external reward or acquired revenue. It is communal and boundless, family and friends. A beautiful image only you can see. A smile that emanates from a memory as fresh as the day it occurred. Happiness is also exclusive, cozy and personal.

It is often forgotten in times of struggle or endeavor, yet it is omnipresent. An internal continuance, within us, pouring through our minds, even in the darkest of times. It may trickle or dribble, but it courses through our veins, like life itself. The baseline is always there, it may plummet or surge, ebb or flow, but all the while, there is a continuity of spirit, of faith, of joy, that is relentless. This is the current, keeping us from washing ashore. The uplift, pushing us forward over even the most tumultuous of circumstances. It carries many purposes: to remind us that things will get better, that we are not alone, that we have within us, the strength to endure and survive. Happiness looks like "Monchu" one family, one cause, one solution- belief.

We all have that moment when our eyes first open after slumber. When the divide between dream and sensibility is erased. Where contentment, spirituality and happiness co-exist with uncertainty. A split second where belief is entangled with our doubt and fears and rather than succumbing to any lingering melancholy, we use it as a beacon to count our blessings. Even after nightmares we settle into the corporeality. We begin to recognize our surroundings and breathe. It is these blurry fragments where happiness finds its stronghold. We just need to remember to bring it with us as we step out of bed.

Happiness is not a myth written in the books of yesteryear. It is a truth both palpable in times of celebration and tragedy. Not necessarily outright laughter, but a quiet perceptibility and validity that we have people who care for us and love us unconditionally. When we return to any kind of normalcy after hardship or misfortune we need to remember this. Happiness is always there. Always circling overhead in the densest of fog. Always embedded in the actions of those around us. Always within ourselves as we process our pain. Everyone finds strength and endurance in different ways. But as humans, the feeling of happiness is universal. A smile, hug, or kind word gets us back to our baseline. Where our intimate, indigenous, innate sense of faith will take over. Joy will return if we listen for it. It has a melody both enticing and hypnotic. Cradling and calming. A warm blanket, a soothing embrace, a whisper of confidence and hope.