The Story of Happiness

December 23, 2006

There are just some of those days when you try really hard to make all things feel ordinary. But no matter where you go, the world never fades with glee.

And it doesn’t help that amidst the bizarre beauty of the day, you find yourself alone to seize it because everyone is pre-occupied with their individual happiness, or spending it with the joy of their lives.

So since the world is happy but never notices you, you go back to this one quiet room and sleep. You sleep and dream.

You dream of Happiness. Your dream feigned Happiness.

Happiness of the Past

Happiness is a little boy. He was alone, lying underneath the Christmas tree and was looking at the flickering lights. He has darkened the room so that only the Christmas lights illuminated it. His face was all awed at the sight and the light he behold.

He dreamed of snow outside and snow flakes on the window pane. He dreamed some more of Santa Claus and the Three Kings knocking on the door. In his eyes which glowed with reds and greens, dreams were coming to life now as he knew it…

You wake up. But you found no Happiness in the little room. And you remember where Happiness is. He is underneath the Christmas tree with his toes coming out of the mountain of gifts circling the tree. He is a dream. But Happiness was real once. He was a kid and he was alone. But he was Happiness.

Happiness of Today

You go outside. The Milky Way has long floated across the skies. You are only half-awake but there is no missing to hear everyone’s excitement and joy. People everywhere are seizing the floating euphoria. You try to join the festivity, and just the same, nobody notices you. So you sit in one corner but only hear the burgeoning intensity of happy noise. You flick one stick of Marlboro and light the little glint of chance for happiness.

Why is everyone so happy, you wonder. An airplane streaks across the sky above you. The guy sitting beside you talks about the good-find he bought from the kiosk. The girl sitting next to him pretends to listen but she is more interested on the cute guy sitting infront of them. There is an entire family behind you and the kids are wearing Santa hats. They are brats and ask for anything that their eyes can see and fingers can point. The stray dogs are all-over, scavenging for food on the garbage of the happy denizens…

Happiness of the Future

You wake up from a dream inside a dream. The room flickered only of Christmas lights. You find Happiness lying underneath the old Christmas tree, his small toes emerging from the mountain of gifts. You peek by one of the branches above to see what he is looking into. Lights of red and green flood his peaceful, sleeping face. You kneel beside the Christmas tree and slowly take his small body from underneath the tree to your arms. Happiness moves his little arms and embraces your almighty chest. You cuddle him in a rock-a-baby pace and sing to him a Christmas song in a whisper. He buries his face over your shoulder then let out a cute gasp to signal he is awake.

Then he asks you, almost dreamily, the sweetest question your old-age has ever been asked: “Daddy, is it Christmas already?”

Then you smile at him and see on his face those lonely, cold Christmases of the past wither away.

Slowly, you kiss him and say: “Yes son, it’s Christmas.”