happiness

Non-Stop Fun

Happiness is…
in a hammock,
swinging to the peaceful sounds of the lake,
snuggled with a blanket,
on cold winter days.
Happiness is…
crying when needed,
eating a huge piece of pumpkin pie,
with a glass of milk to wash it down,
basking in the sun.
Happiness is…
acting silly,
having non-stop fun,
with no interruptions,
funny memories we will never forget.

~Sarah Bodell

Crazy Ski Seats

Happiness is…
running down the ocean shore,
leaving my footprints,
to get lost by the waves,
being with my friends.
Scoring the winning goal,
as the buzzer sounds.
Happiness is
Picking that once was delicious corn,
out of my teeth,
after dinner,
being on the mountain,
with Emily and grace,
on those crazy ski seats.
Happiness is
laughing when nothing is funny,
playing field hockey,
being with the ones I love and care for.
Now that’s what happiness really is.

~Ashley Nelson~

Frost-bitten

Happiness is the first snow falling,
early one frost-bitten morning,
is riding fast down the icy slopes on my board,
hoping I won’t fall.

Happiness is when the snow finally melts away for good,
a sign that summer is close,
is speeding through the muddy trail,
all afternoon on my bike.

Happiness is sitting under a shady tree,
on a hot summer day with a cold lemonade in my hand,
waiting for winter to come again.

~Austin Cawley-Edwards

i. I wonder what will happen once you're gone.
ii. The leaves fell quietly to the ground.
i. What will happen when you're gone?
ii. They floated almost as softly as snowflakes.
i. Will it be like the last time?
ii. They seemed so innocent.
i. Have I changed to encourage a different reaction this time?
ii. They understood their symbology.
i. Will that part of me die?
ii. Fall to winter.
i. How many more times will this happen?
ii. Life to death.
i. Will there be anything left when it's over?
ii. And then they began to decompose.
i. What will happen to me?
ii. Leaving nothing but dust.

I'm taking a college class in philosophy right now, and part of my work is writing these "journal entries." My dad was my main person that I bounced ideas off of, but he's not gonna be around much until the end of july. This means that I have no one to talk to about philosophy once I leave class. That's where the internet comes in. I'll be posting these short essays on my reading almost daily for another two weeks or so. It's pretty much the only writing I'm finding the time to do right now.

On the particular piece, Sisyphus is an ancient greek absurd hero, who was doomed to a life of futility for lying to the Gods. He rolls a giant boulder up a mountain, and when he almost gets to the top, the stone rolls down to the bottom and he must start over again. This is my response to a chapter we read on this subject, I hope it makes sense. (It's freshly written, so ignore small errors and such)

_________

No one on this entire planet can say that they don’t have dreams. Everyone, at some point, dreams about who they want to become, what they want to do with their lives, or who they want to spend their lives with. ‘Following your bliss’ means going after your dreams. It means never giving up and chasing the dreams that you want to become a reality. To follow your dreams means to do whatever you possibly can to achieve them and not letting anyone get in your way and deter you from your goal. Never give up and never surrender!

No one can
Really help me
As much as they
All say that
They can
They really can't
No one understands
The suffering that
I endure
The pain that
I tough out
They all think
That I'm strange
For embracing darkness
But the truth is
Darkness is the
Only thing
That has kept me safe
All these years
So I will continue
To embrace it
Until it swallows
All of my pain
And gives me

Those who search
For happiness
Will never find it
But those who
Just live their lives
Without striving
For perfection
Will always
Be happy

Someone or something
gave me
a push
and finally
I'm happy with
myself.

A push to show me how to be.
And a push toward other people so I could.

It was a small thing.
Three, actually.

1. Her
She's better around me. Vice versa.
2. That day with them
Acceptance, nothing more
3. Him
Finally!

That's my list for now

21. Polka dots
22. That fresh laundry detergent smell
23. Elevators
24. Socks
25. Muffins
26. Free merchandise
27. Ritz Crackers
27. Stuffed animals
29. Sparkles
30. Stars
31. Puppies
32. Soup
33. Hershey's Kisses
34. Sporks
35. Cowboy boots
36. Baguettes
37. New York City
38. Whipped cream
39. Beads
40. Jeopardy!
41. Jacuzzis and pools
42. Project Runway
43. Camp

1. Stickers
2. Squishy erasers
3. Correct horoscopes
4. Post-Its
5. Donkeys
6. A perfect book
7. Calendars
8. Flirting
9. Flights at night
10. Randomness
11. Sheep
12. Raffles
13. The Awkward Turtle
14. French fries
15. Bubbles
16. Free samples at Costco
17. Scarves
18. Gift cards
19. Postcards
20. Mini cakes

Happiness
Is being sprinkled on me,
Like glitter on a poster,
Or spices on a meat.
Shortly I will take a seat
Next to you
At a diner.
Now,
My life couldn’t be finer
Because
I know
That you like me too.
I will keep my voice down low
And I won’t talk too much
Over our lunch.
You have made me
So happy,
And the world can see
My glee
And now,
I officially can say,
That it is

Today,
I am so happy,
That I could float around
Like a butterfly
On tufts of wind
High above the ground.
Why?
Because the guy
That I like
And have liked,
For months,
And even years
Has wiped away my fears.
That guy,
He likes me too.
His friend,
My friend,
Set us up,
And out of the blue
He called me.
“Is it true about what she said?”
He asked.
“Yes,
Of coarse!

I can't feel my senses
I just feel the cold
I'm nothing without you
My soul is frozen
My memories of you
Are fading away
Into emptiness
All your lies
I can see the truth
You never loved me
And you never will
You simply tolerated me
For eighteen years
Until I was old enough
To live on my own
I can see that now
"I love you"
Those were just empty words
That meant nothing to you

The girl lies in the glittering bed-like snow, moving her arms and legs to the rhythm of the angels' wings. The snow forms to the sound, and she stands up and steps away to admire her work. As she wanders back into the house, she hears the phone ringing in a distant part of the house, the refrigerator mumbling and gurgling, the dryer sucking away the moisture from newly laundered clothes.

Do you ever feel like you have
too much luck?
I asked,
and he thought a while,
his eyes staring past me,
and he sighed,
his chest rising,
and said,

I think it's kind of like
the grass is greener on
the other side.
You know,
how people who have pain
want happiness,
and people with too much happiness
want pain.

And it made sense,
at least
for a moment,