Life’s Funny

Life’s funny. Right when you think you’ve figured something out, things change. If we’re lucky, we get to see how the people, places, experiences and things that came in and out of our life have always all been for the best. But how do we stay happy, even when things seem shitty, and where does happiness come from anyways?

I don’t know. But stuff is stuff, and “things” can be great.  I’m pretty positive that “things” fall flat in creating happiness in several important respects, though. Certainly I can do things to make myself happy and create happiness around me. But can other people cause happiness too?

It gets thrown around a lot that true happiness comes solely from within, and sure, to an extent… but is true happiness truly solitary? Does it come simply from enjoyment of wearing the skin you’re in, and everything in between it; or does it also require companionship and an outside world of sorts?

Happiness derived in part from companionship starts to make some sense if you subscribe to any one of a variety of oneness theories. Or believe any of the studies conducted on happiness as it relates to human touch and interaction, marriage, and/or pet ownership.

As one of my yoga teachers explains: “We’re all just energetic beings enjoying a human experience”. So then, essentially, we aren’t entirely ourselves at all really, rather we’re just a little sprinkle on a piece of pie, at the hippest bakery, which is still just one of five on any non-descript New York City block, lucky enough to be enjoying this fine day.

But sometimes it seems like there’s a lot of junk standing in the way of enjoying the day. Each and every day. Here, right now. Work, money, relationships, self-doubt, whatever.

Meditating and focusing on “reaching” enlightenment all day might help me clear my brain, but I’m not so sure it can help me become fully engaged, and impact and enjoy something bigger and more important than myself… like the world. Which I think’s gotta be the reason I’m here. To give, receive, love, be loved, experience and enjoy.