Keep On Flowing

(... some white space to take a deep breath and relax ...) Happiness has always been an elusive concept to me. It is a black box. Every attempt to define it seems to drive it further away. While definitions are required for scientific studies and frameworks are helpful for understanding, there is something quite koan-like about the nature of such ultimate concepts: any attempt to strictly define them extinguishes them.  I felt this acutely when I was severely depressed several years ago. My mind was suffering from malaise, drowning in rumination, worries, and regrets. I was deprived of something essential, but I couldn’t name what it was.  In practice, the definition of happiness itself isn’t as important as how you genuinely feel. If you feel “happy,” then you are. Despite how elusive the idea is, we all carry an undefinable internal definition—something that can only be known to be true when it is felt. You have to rely on your senses, not your intellect, for its perception....

I’ve had the fortune to witness it many times—the wonder in her eyes.  It’s an outpouring of joy, like a child discovering the world for the very first time.  The purest of emotions: like fireworks, it lights up the sky and shines over what has gone dark in us.  Every time I see it, I can’t help but wonder: when did I lose mine? It’s that exact kind of excitement that disappears as we age, without us noticing. Our minds become saddled with preoccupations, and our hearts beat without the same kind of intensity. We are covered in the snow of cynicism and the ice of pessimism. And here you are—a gentle, warm light that shines through the clouds. Whatever it is you see, it’s a reflection of your heart. Don’t ever change. Because you are a blessing to me and a wonder to the world.