My sister once said that she would finally be happy if she got a swimming pool.
Now she has one, I guess that problem is solved.
Regardless of what will transpire in her life from this moment on, she will be forever happy.
Those are her words, not mine.
Obviously, everyone has a different definition of happiness.
To some it all comes back to money.
For others it's sex.
Still others, it is power.
The dictionary states that happiness is: feeling or showing pleasure, contentment, or joy.
But what makes us truly happy and how long does that last? For me, eating a piece of exquisite dark chocolate does the trick in the very short term.
In the long term, it's security, love, and good health.
Then again, how do you know when you've found these things and which is most important? Money is the first choice, because it can provide all the remaining items.
It allows one to afford a nice home, vehicle, food, and entertainment.
After all, aren't the rich truly happy? If you have read anything about J.
Paul Getty or Howard Hughes, two billionaires, of the last century, you might disagree.
They were reclusive, paranoid and generally miserable.
And what about those movie stars making millions a film? Are they happy in their Malibu estates? It seems they have domestic issues, with divorces as plentiful as their plastic surgeries.
It would appear owning fine cars, jewelry, and designer clothing can't stop a celebrity from cheating or being as morose as the rest of us.
Sex is a good solution for happiness.
After all, it's everywhere: in magazines, TV shows and the movies.
Everyone having lots of sex should be incredibly happy, right? Therefore, should we assume porn stars are among the happiest in all of society? Maybe that was a bad example.
But couples that have oodles of sex still cheat on their partners.
So what are they really looking for? Power is the third wish that makes one happy.
Politicians, corporate executives, and the mega-wealthy must be deliriously happy.
They control all that happens around them.
They have all their constituents at their beck and call.
Yet, they participate in financial and political scandals as frequently as anyone else.
What are they looking for? Then there are the anti-establishment types that claim to be happy as a lark with a few essential items.
They work with, or are part of, religious groups or cults.
They opt for the simple life with vows of poverty and faith.
With the mere basics of worldly possessions, they smile and taut the rest of us with our brand name watches and shoes.
But, their kind has been led by sinister obsessive leaders, that exploit their naivety causing much hardship and even death, in their wake.
Where does that leave us? What does it take to be happy over the long haul and how can we avoid sadness? I have an awful truth to proclaim: you must find your own way.
One man's vision of happiness is another's waste of time.
I like to play the keyboard and read.
To someone else, that's unthinkable when there's 'Survivor' on the television.
My wife loves to watch sports, mostly Monday night football.
Many men are nodding their heads in agreement right now while most of the women are groaning their displeasure.
It's such a personal thing, that few of us would agree on a list of ten items in common.
Thank goodness we have free will and get to choose our ways of discovering happiness.
Many of which, don't cost much time or money.
Therefore, let's not forget true love, which can be more rewarding than anything else and keeps on giving every day.
But if real happiness just happens to be that in-ground swimming pool with the waterfall at one end, that's perfectly all right.
For me, I'll dive into a well-written novel, thank you very much.