Happiness is a Journey, NOT a Destination

devan_blue_guardrail.jpg Susan notes: See the end for attribution.

For the longest time, it seemed to me that my life was just about to start. My real life; the one in which I would be happy.

But there was always seemed to be some obstacle along the way, an ordeal to get through, work to be finished, time to be given, bills to be paid.

When all those things were done, life would start, I thought. But I was wrong. I finally came to understand that those obstacles WERE life.

This understanding has helped me to see that there isn’t any road to happiness. Happiness IS the road.

So, now I do my best to enjoy every moment. I’ve stopped waiting to be happy.

Stopped waiting for school to end, for school to start, to lose ten pounds, to gain ten pounds, for work to begin, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, for a new car, for my mortgage to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for my song to be played on the radio, to get married, to get divorced. I’ve stopped waiing to die, or to be reborn, before deciding to be happy.

I've discovered that happiness, like life, is a journey, not a destination.
 
There’s no better time to be happy than… NOW!

So I choose to be happy now, to live today and enjoy the moment. 

Susan notes: the author of this piece is unverifiable; however, Crystal Boyd claims it as her own. In any event, the message is universal... Thanks to Veronica Wong in Philippines for sending it to me and to Devan Laye for the lovely photograph wintery roadside scene.

Related Articles