Happiness

Do you believe that happiness can be synthesized?

For example, a cube of dark chocolate gives me a bitesize of bliss; a cup of milk freshly heated in the microwave delivers a stomach of warmth; a bowl of salad with Japanese sesame and soy dressing brings me large servings of heartiness; an afternoon spent in a quaint cafe reading fills my mind with a week's worth of peace; a firm embrace from a loved one holds me in a moment of comfort; a lovely song reaches out to my soul with a gentle caress; a quiet evening, watching the sun sink into the horizon, grants me a heavy dose of joy.

But such happiness is fleeting, just like youth, beauty and fame. Finding happiness in objects is like holding water in my hands, and happiness in people is like gripping on to sand. It seeps through, it slips through, it slides through. But just when I was planning to pull the plug, I received a happiness that doesn't slip through my fingers, a happiness that hasn't failed me, a happiness that wouldn't leave my heart.

This happiness cannot be synthesized. It is not a drug that I can inject into my life whenever I need a boost. Like a love that quietly, unknowingly sneaks into my heart, it comes when I don't quite expect. It comes, lifts and lingers.

Do you believe in such a happiness?