"Happiness is like a butterfly...."

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Wait. That is how some people may interpret this quote. Wait patiently and happiness will come to you.

I believe that what Nathaniel Hawthorne meant was that if we are going to chase happiness to the ends of the earth, we will always be left wanting more, but if we take a moment to appreciate everything that we have, we will see that we already have a wealth of things to be happy about.

What are you happy about today? Perhaps your house is not the perfect house, but it is still a roof over your head. Maybe your job is stressful or boring, but it still provides you with food and money to pay the bills. Perhaps your children don't bring you the paper on a lazy Sunday morning, but they still love you unconditionally.

If you aim for a perfect family that will never argue, never leave a mess, and never nag you, then you risk destroying the imperfect family that you have in the process of reaching for 'perfection'. If you manage to just about pay for that perfect house, you may find yourself struggling to put food on your 'perfect' table.

Look around you and take in what you have.

Remember, this world isn't perfect, but that doesn't mean that we can't be happy. Most people are on a quest to be happy, which is brilliant; but not if we by-pass happiness on the way!

Leave a comment saying what you are happy about today!