Happy

After a few days of planes, trains, and automobiles, I'm on a little break. I've escaped the wintry confines that are Connecticutistan for the deserts of Arizona and am getting reacquainted with the large glowing orb some call the "sun." Some of you may be familiar with it. It's been interesting to see it again.

With some free time, I've also been exposed to the foolishness that is morning television and it appears to be a bleak race to the finish line of vapidness. This morning, for example, every one was chirping about the fact that today is International Day of Happiness. Seriously, it's a thing. Surprisingly, it does not appear to be invented by Hallmark or its ilk. I've never heard of this day and don't really get it, but hearing the term 'happy' being tossed around has gotten me thinking about happiness.

Happy. I like what Marcus Aurelius had to say about it:

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.

Marcus is right, you know, at least for me. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy. I may be simple, but family, friends and food are three core elements to making me happy. I've had them all during this mini-vacation and they've all made me happy, particularly last night's Punjabi gosht rogan josh and the Thai drunken noodles I had for lunch today.

One man's happiness may be another's undoing, I get that. I mean it's not everyone that can find bliss in a plate of rogan josh, but I can. That's the thing about happiness. It's up to each one of us to find our happy and to find it every day. One of life's blessings is the opportunity that we have to start anew each day. I can choose to find something good in the most challenging thing I face each day or I can opt to let it knock me down. I'll go for the good because good gets you the happy.

And happy is a good place to be.