Happiness... Ahh, the elusive feeling every person seeks as the answer to their life's search. It's the reason we set goals, make resolutions, wipe the slate clean at the turn of each new year. Ask anyone what they want from life and you are sure to hear, "I just want to be happy." This amorphous ideal often makes it hard to put into words exactly what would make one "happy." So, at the turn of another 365 day interval, we try, once again, to adjust, shift, change, or alter our lives in an effort to satisfy this quest.

At the end of last year, I was going through boxes and came across my high school yearbook. Between the pages was a folded up piece of paper with a poem titled, "What Is Happiness?" [attribution unknown]. I have no recollection of where I got it, but I kept it - tucked away with other meaningful mementos - for a reason.

It must have spoken to me then, as it still does now. The "bigger picture" message was a wonderful reminder to me, and the obligation to share it with the Here We Are readers called out loud and clear.

❃❃❃

Happiness is

The Way it feels

To have a heartful 

Of high ideals

And pursue them all

With determination

As a sign of faith 

In your own generation.

Happiness is 

Giving and sharing,

It's love and loyalty

Commitment and caring.

It's a beautiful pattern

That nicely blends

With a family circle

And a circle of friends.

It's building and growing 

From day to day

And helping others

Along the way.

It's getting involved

With what must be done -

That's what Happiness is 

For everyone.

❃❃❃ 

Since human beings are more alike than different, we share very similar desires. As the month of January closes, perhaps day-to-day life has slipped its way back into reality softening that stoic determination, interrupting a newly devised routine, and clouding intended laser-like focus. All is not lost, the desired changes don't happen overnight, they are by their very nature a journey to new experiences.

Take a moment today to explore the bigger picture, answers may be there but you just haven't recognized them. Hope this poem is a reminder for you, too, as a guide to assess those greater gifts that already exist in your life... AND remember that a journey is a continuous process.