November 7, 8, 9: A Long Time, Forty-Two, Happiness

It was a long time before anyone spoke.

Out of the corner of his eye Phouchg could see the sea of tense expectant faces down in the square outside.

The supercomputer Deep Thought has just provided Phouchg with its answer to the Great Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.  Deep Thought's answer:  forty-two.  That's the reason for the prolonged silence in this passage.  Nobody knows how to respond.

It has been a long time since I've spoken on this blog.  I apologize.  My excuses:  (1) I led my monthly poetry workshop on Thursday night at the Joy Center in my home town, and (2) I attended the wake of an old school friend yesterday evening.  When I got home last night, I was exhausted.  I didn't do a whole lot but get in my pajamas and fall asleep.  I think I woke up once, to brush my teeth, then back to bed.

I have been pondering the Great Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything a lot this past week.  The loss of my old friend and other things have made me reflective.  Most of my thought energy has been spent on happiness--how to achieve it, what it means, whether it can be sustained for any period of time.

It occurs to me that happiness is just as puzzling as Deep Thought's answer.  Maybe happiness is forty-two.  If you are 42-years-old and you are incredibly content with life, then 42 is your answer to the Great Question.  Forty-two days cancer free.  Forty-two pages left to read in a great book.  A forty-two minute nap.  All of these 42s could be sources of joy and happiness.

Happiness is pretty ephemeral.  I woke up the day after Christmas two years ago, thinking that my life was pretty good, that I had things under control.  Forty-two minutes later, I found out that all the water pipes in my house were frozen solid.  Bye-bye happiness.  Another morning, I went to work feeling pretty content and stable in my job.  Three hours and forty-two minutes later, I was told that my place of work was being closed, and I had about forty-two days left to find a new position.  Poof!  Happiness gone.

This morning, I'm feeling alright.  Not joyful.  Not depressed.  Just alright.  And I'm okay with that.  Halloween is past.  Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks.  At parent teacher conferences a couple days ago, we found out that my son is doing really well in all of his classes.  His science teacher said that the only problem with my son is that there aren't four more like him in the class.  This evening, I have a date with my daughter.  We're going to a dance show at the university where I teach.  Tomorrow, I'm going to put up the Christmas decorations on my front porch.  All of these things are sources of happiness for me.

I think we all have to define our happiness.  For me, it's feeling calm, surrounded by people who love me unconditionally, no matter what.  If you have that, count yourself happy.  There's nothing better than knowing you have people who have your back, in good times and bad.  That's what's going to get you through those forty-two days of wandering around in the desert, searching for happiness.

Now, if anyone has forty-two million dollars to donate to Saint Marty, his life will be REALLY happy.