“happiness”

Yes, it’s hard to reach. For some, nearly impossible. But have you ever splayed yourself out beneath a window pouring sunlight? Have you ever had a dog come to you in a room full of people? Have you ever found the perfect word, the perfect song or story or image, to articulate completely what you’re feeling? Has anyone ever gifted you with their touch, maybe a smiling child or shy date, leaving a gentle buzz where they did? Have you ever smelled the scent of flowers? Ever tasted other cultures from a food cart? Ever been told you are loved, seen, appreciated, accepted? If yes, congratulations—you’ve known happiness. If not—set your phone down, sit up straight, and think. Sometimes memories can be covered in dust or stacked forgotten in boxes, but given only a minute, your heart and mind will recover them. And in the meantime, understand that happiness isn’t the End Goal: it’s that temporary flicker, that fleeting feeling we’re all blessed with from time to time, and it occurs in the small moments, the kind gestures, the sweet words falling from the mouths of others. Whoever turned happiness into something that must be scratched off a to-do list? I don’t know, but I do know this: it’s never too late to reclaim it. So tell me; what is happiness to you?