My beloved mother once told me about a young man who did not quite fit in and was never quite happy.

 

 

This young man would always tell himself, “Once I get out of high school and go to college, then I’ll be happy.”

 

 

So the young man went to college, but he still was not happy, so he tells himself, “Once I graduate and get a good job, then I’ll be happy”

 

 

So the young man graduates, gets a good job, but he is still not happy, so he tells himself, “I’ll meet a nice young woman, have some kids, and then I’ll be happy.”

 

 

So one day the man meets a nice woman, they get married, have some kids but he is still not happy, so he tells himself, “Once the kids are grown up and moved out then I’ll be happy.”

 

 

Well one day the kids grow up, move out and the not-so-young man still is not happy, so he tells himself, “Soon I’ll be able to retire and then I can do whatever I want and then I’ll be happy.”

 

 

Retirement day comes and goes and the now old man is still not happy. Eventually nature takes its course, the old man passes away having never been truly happy because he was always relying on happiness to eventually work its way into his life.

 

 

Depressing right? But this is an example of the fables that dominated my upbringing, and at its fundamental level, it has a powerful moral that we could all learn from.

 

 

To paraphrase a prominent character in a famous sitcom I binge-watch more than I probably should: Our forefathers fought for the pursuit of happiness, not the-sit-around-and-wait of happiness.

 

 

If you want something you cannot just wait and hope that it will eventually find its way into your life. At some point you have to actively pursue it.

 

 

Now I am not saying you should just cast away all future plans and live strictly for today’s satisfaction, but you cannot just wait to be happy.  You have to find joy in the now, and sometimes that can be hard.

           

 

I often struggle with the juggling act that is the life of a full-time college student and year-round resident of Durango.

 

I often joke that I’m “living the dream” in the form of a full load at Fort Lewis College, and a job with less than flexible hours, and on occasion it feels like I am biding my time waiting for my real life to begin.

 

 

It can be hard to find euphoria in a seemingly endless series of deadlines and reading assignments, and at times the minutiae of everyday life drags me down.

 

 

This makes the dream I live seem more like a nightmare.

 

 

If you are willing to look hard enough, though, you can always find a spark of happiness, or at least satisfaction, to build on for the next day.

 

 

This can be something as simple as a joke your co-worker told you, a song on the radio, a cup of coffee or maybe just a moment of silence where the world seems to come to a halt and you can be grateful for all the things you have, instead of being resentful for all of the things you do not.

 

 

I know it all sounds sappy, and maybe it is inspired by the upcoming holiday season, but I would like to think we all have big goals for ourselves.

 

 

We all have a happiness to pursue and I implore you all to find that happiness and pursue the crap out of it.

 

Just do not forget to find something today that justifies continuing the pursuit.