HDR: What is happiness?

Deep Thoughts here… What is happiness? I know when I’m happy. I know what makes me happy too. Time with my family is at the top of list, which is followed by closely by time by myself. I was sitting on a bench at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad taking in the view (pictured above) when I noticed that the while alone, I was surrounded by hundreds of happy people walking the fields. There were dozens of multigenerational families, young couples, kids, mothers pushing babies, and lots and gay families. All were happy. It was infectious. You could feel the happiness. It radiated from everyone. But why? We were in a pay to view flower field on a sunny day on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There was nothing to do but walk up and down a hillside and look at flowers, yet everyone was joyously happy. I was hugged by complete strangers. An old woman took my arm as I stood looking down over a beautiful field of orange flowers. She did not say a word. She simple smiled and squeezed my arm. Is this happiness? I hope so, because I was soaking it in like a sponge.

I was alone and happy. It was not the flowers that did it for me. I’m color blind and simply do not get the nuances that people go on and on about. I was content to be around happy people, yet I liked being by myself just as much. Weird, right?

I saw a few other people tripping like me. Take Mr. Baldy… he was doing the same thing as me. We made eye contact briefly. His smile was infectious. He was so happy it was like watching beams of light emit from his face. Did flowers do this for him? Sunshine? People?

I was there to shoot photos while my wife and her cousins did inscrutable wife and cousin things with the kids. We separated after walking in the front gate. I put my earbuds in, turned on some reggae, and started looking for shots. three hours went by in a blur. The flowers were pretty, but they bored me. The people, especially the photographers, fascinated me. I shot more people than flowers, but that is always the case.

I don’t know what happiness is, but I know it when I feel it. The thing is, I’m happy most of of the time; flowers or not. I’ve been that way my whole life.

What is happiness for you?

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