"Come back to me"

What is happiness? One word, millions of interpretations, billions of feelings. Is it even describable? I thought about describing it but failed at it. I opened up the dictionary and all it gave me was synonyms - joy, contentment, pleasure. So I decided, happiness can't be described. It can only be felt. 

And the weird thing about this funny little thing called happiness is that it comes with an expiry date. Happiness doesn't last forever. It has to be renewed as if it were a library book and as much as we like it, we alone can not control that. We need help. Sometimes, help comes in a form of a person, a touch, a smile, an animal, a plant, a place, an accomplishment, a victory, food, a book, a meme, another feeling. 

Most of the times happiness isn't pure. It almost always comes laced with other emotions. Pride, remorse, fear, shame, redemption, desire, hope. There is no such thing as an unadulterated happiness. At least for most, there isn't.

Happiness is contagious. It can spread like a wildfire. It has a brain of its own, leaping from heart to heart to hearts, jerking tears, cracking voices, constricting throats, swelling chests, failing limbs.

And then other times, happiness just refuses to be shared. What makes a heart beat faster with joy is met with a cold stare, an indifference so deep, it threatens to swallow the happiness whole. Sometimes it's apathy, and sometimes it's jealousy. Happiness doesn't win all the times.

One cannot to be careless with happiness. It is fickle, too impatient and always has one foot out the door. But happiness also cannot stay away for long. It wants a home and it wants you. Happiness is not selfish. It wants to see itself scattered all over the place. But happiness is  also vain. It wants to be missed. It wants you to do something to win it back. Rescue a kitten, bear a child, plant a tree, love someone deeply, read a poem, call your mum, listen to Dan Smith's voice, cook for someone, go for a walk, travel, buy that armchair you've always wanted, color your hair, dance, tell someone you love them.

And keep on doing them. You will lose happiness again and again but you will also most certainly find it back. Don't lose your hope on happiness, for it hasn't lost its hope on you.