The Pursuit of Happiness- Is it Attainable

" I pray for your happiness, " said a friend of mine.

It was subtle, yet profound. She didn't mean I was unhappy. Only that she knew my journey to have been a tumultuous one. But surely as the winds of a storm that thunder on leaving only destruction in their wake ultimately die down to a serene calm, so does the grief and pain that claws and scratches at your heart.

When you come out the other side, like I believe myself to have done, something changes.

And it's glorious. It's liberating, it's empowering and it's absolutely impenetrable.

And so I thought, am I happy? I don't know. Here is what I do know:


I do not scale a certain wall that I have erected within my mind. Within the confines of those walls is an abyss. I find myself no longer needing to look into it. Instead I have sealed it firmly shut and entrusted The Highest Authority to do whatever has been decreed. With that belief firmly shrouding this haunting ground of dismay, I now find myself ever so conscious of stealing moments of joy. I snatch them, sometimes I conjure them but mostly I allow myself to be open to them.

a serene moment with a cup of tea after a grueling day
hot water on a freezing morning
a kind word
a helping hand
an offer of a seat
the smile of a child
watching the birds soar from my window, so high
the anticipation of lying down after being on my feet for a good 14 hours
spending those 14 hours doing what I love
the whiff of my favourite food
the incessant worrying and hovering of my parents (love in its purest form)
the girl talk with my sisters
a piece of new knowledge acquired (one of the greatest joys out there)
the smell of fresh laundry
sitting idly in my chair (stealing minutes of rest)
delving into a good book
the feel of a cool breeze on a hot afternoon
the contentment of feeling the energy on the dawn of a new day
the passion to make a difference

Yes, I steal the moments, I encapture them, I bask in them, but mostly I allow myself to be highly conscious of them.

Am I happy? I don't know. It's all relative to your own definition of the word. You will never be happy if your standards are set against another's. It's only when you rise above that, when you transcend that level, can you find peace.

Happy is too immature a word. But yes, there is joy to be had, if you allow it, it you have the vision to see it, to recognize it, to be engulfed by it.

If you can do that, then you will finally be content. Happiness has to be pursued, and it comes, sometimes in the most unlikely places. Contentment, peace and joy- these are the ingredients. If you have all three- you have finally attained happiness.