by Kelan Putnam

Created on: July 29, 2008

ARE YOU HAPPY?

In the American culture, the cache for happiness and the ultimate goal that spell success are Money, Expensive Stuff and Being Thin and/or looking like you are thirty when you are twenty years past that point. A Good Education is another goal. There are even more qualities that equate happiness with success, but I'll stick with these.

Happiness, as I perceive it, is not consistent, is as variable as the weather. A conversation with a friend can make me laugh as much as playing with my cat. Walking to the post office and picking up the paper makes me feel good. A person who crosses my path at random and has a few interesting remarks to make leave me with a good feeling. Money is low on my list.

Money means the mortgage must be paid, the checkbook balanced, the gas is going sky high, and I better be cautious about using the air conditioner no matter how hot it is. It causes consternation rather than happiness; whether I have had a lot (I have) or a little (I do).

If I have water to take a refreshing shower in the morning, I'm grateful. A good yogurt with fruit for breakfast is lovely. The soft bed where I lay my head at the end of the day, hoping for a good night of sleep and actually getting it, satisfies me. Watching the backyard on my deck is a joy, but when I know that I better mow the grass and get the weeds pulled, I'm flat.

Expensive stuff has no interest for me. It just means more worry concerning money, and there can be so much more meaning to stuff that is free. A beautiful sunrise is free; a wild thunderstorm that is both threatening and exciting costs nothing. Writing is a process that brings satisfaction whether it is good or bad. I tried, didn't I? Isn't that the point? Things that make life more "convenient" like a blackberry are plain stupid to me. A cell phone is nice, necessary for an emergency, but a blackberry is a computer in a pocket and duplicates the computer you own at home. It means everyone has 24/7 access. Why is that a plus? I like to own my time; I recall the simplicity of having hard lines and answering machines with great nostalgia.

Not only do I not own a lot of stuff, I have little interest in owning anything else. In fact, I have six large boxes from my last move that I haven't opened five years later. Stuff clogs up my head, and creates a stalemate.

Recently, I spent five hours cleaning out a bedroom that is rarely used except for the occasional nap. It was an experience filled with emotion. I found things I had

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