I had a conversation with a friend of mine over lunch today, and he’s trying to understand the ‘black friday’ thing as much as I am.  It made me think about a book I started to read recently called Absorbing Spongebob: Ten Ways to Squeeze More Happiness Out of Life.

Honestly, I borrowed this book from the library just because I liked the title and cover.  What?!  Like you have never done that before…  If people didn’t judge books by their covers, publishers wouldn’t spend so much time and money to make them look great.  Sorry, rabbit trail, back to the story.  I started reading this book out of curiosity, but I had to put it down when the author started talking about the episode where Spongebob was playing with a leaf blower.  Anyone who actually watches Spongebob Squarepants knows that he plays with a reef blower.  If you’re going to use a metaphor or character to make your point, do your homework.  I did thumb through the book, but nothing jumped out as life changing.  Watching Spongebob is much better for happiness than reading this book.

So what is happiness and how do we get it?  If you’re looking for the answer to that question, I don’t have it, however I do have a few observations.  Happiness is not in the form of a pill.  Happiness does not come in liquid form either, although some say these help.

Happiness is sometimes difficult to find when you’re looking for it, but sneaks up on you when you least expect it.  There are many masks out there, disguising things as happiness.  Advertisements contain much information about happiness, although buying those things never really produce happiness.  

Happiness is what you make it.  Here’s what society says…

Here’s reality.  Shopping might bring some very short-term happiness, but it’s not a happiness necessity.  Shopping is not bad, as a matter of fact, it can be good, only if it’s not done in excess or as a substitution for things that truly make you happy.