Oh to be happy!

***...I've just been updating my blog a wee bit and noticed this post for 11/2012 that for some reason went unpublished. Just hitting the publish button now because although don't remember the circumstances surrounding writing it, it rings true for me and brought a smile to my face today! Hope it does to your as well. ***

Happiness is so relative. So dependent on so many fluctuating factors. So transient, so easy to find but even easier to lose. And yet we chase it, hunt for it, like it's caffeine for the soul, and we're desperate for another fix.
What's wrong with not being happy? Why do we hate it so much? After all, sadness, anger, frustration, indifference, aren't these all just emotions, and can't the same be said about happiness? It's just another state of mind. Different in experience, yet biologically and physiologically similar to so many other feelings. So what's the big deal?
 I think one of the problems with happiness is that it's unrealistic. Think about it. Always just out of reach. We can imagine it, picture it, envision it, plan for it. We might even grasp it every now and then. That perfectly 'happy' moment, when life is as it should be and all is right in our own little world. But it doesn't last. It can't. It's not real life. It's imaginary. Like planning on winning the lottery or building a castle in Neverland, planning on one day becoming ''happy'' for the rest of your life is just a bit of a fairytale.

So what? What do we work for then? What could be worth pursuing more than a happy life and a happy family?

How about something real. Something that you can feel in your bones is good and worth every minute of your thoughts and every ounce of your energy. Something that is accessible and tangible and satisfying, that leaves you content and at peace with who you are as an individual. Something that is rewarding.
I'm talking about love.
It's a pretty crazy thing. When you think about it, it's also pretty hard to define. It encompasses and embraces so many different emotions and good feelings: joy, peace, even happiness. But it also throws a cozy blanket over some of the harder ones. It can be at the very heart of sadness, can result in raging anger, and can lend a hand in frustrating and indifferent circumstances.
 It's also just so satisfying, and so accessible. Those are the two things I love about love ;) You don't need to hunt and chase and grasp and miss it, you just have to do it! Love. That guy on the street, that kid in the grocery store, your mom, your flatmate, even your dog.
Make the conscious choice to love, and to receive and accept love in return. It's real, and it's so worth it.