Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happinesss

It is incredibly sad to me how many people are working themselves into a tizzy to pay for the 'things' they believe will make them happy. Using the analogy of 'life' being a journey, they are zipping down the highways of life at breakneck speeds preoccupied with the extensive juggling they must do to keep all the balls in the air. Meanwhile the wheels are coming off their lives and they are too busy to even notice….all in the name of seeking the elusive "happy."

I had a friend that, when asked what his long-term goals were, would reply, "I want to be happy." He couldn't tell you what 'happy' meant to him or what steps he would take to get there but 'happy' was his destination. It seems to me that if you cannot describe what 'happy' looks like to you or what direction you need travel in seeking it, how will you know when you arrive?

Look around, it is common to find people doing the same thing. They are chasing happy and missing the beauty of life all around them. Bigger houses, newer vehicles, more big-boy toys, trendier clothes, and elaborate vacations are leading these folks around as if they had a ring in their nose. The 'American Dream' has blinded and confused people for a long time. Once the American Dream was living a life of freedom, now it is enslavement to debt. Though we no longer have a foreign king taxing us to death, we are taxing ourselves. Our battle cry of "Give me liberty or give me death" has turned into "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go."

Meanwhile, our kids are growing up and we are missing it. Our parents grow old and leave this world and we missed that, too. Our loyal canine companions are stuck behind a fence in the backyard waiting to see if they will get a loving word or touch from their 'owners'….hmmm, it just struck me that 'owner' is awfully close to the word 'owe'….bet that isn't a happenstance.

Debt is the result of constant yearning for more, and requires working beyond reason to repay, which in turn prevents us from spending time in those bigger houses with our kids (that miss us whether they admit it or not). Still no one in our home is either happy or satisfied, then tell me again…..why are we doing all this?

If it were a math sentence, it would look something like this:

(Yearning for more + larger purchases = Debt) > (hours in the day + energy) X (less time with family + more stress) = unhappy family and less quality of life

When I think back on the things that made me happy as a kid, I recall walking in the woods with my grandpa, sitting on the pier watching the sunset over the water, hearing my Daddy sing, marveling at the smell of sweetpeas, listening to the wind howl at night through open window, watching ducks float on the pond, hearing the coo of doves, playing with my cousins, sharing a bowl of fresh figs and cream with my grandma…..those things I remember. I cannot tell you what I got for any given Christmas or birthday present or what kind of car we had.

As an adult, it is the smell of a baby, a good cup of coffee, laughing with friends, walking in the woods, sitting on a pier watching the sunset over the water, hearing the coo of doves, seeing the faces of my grandbabies, hearing my children's voices, hugs and smiles from people I love…those things and more like them make me happy. It is the people with which we share our lives and memories that bring the greatest happiness. You can't find that in a catalog or department store.  

Seems to me people work terribly hard at being happy. My husband's arm around my shoulder makes me happy and it doesn't cost a thing. "Happy" is appreciating the journey, not a destination. That's why so many people never 'find' happiness, they flew past it too quickly without seeing it go by as they pedaled as fast as they could trying to get ahead of debt and constant yearning. Sad that.