For the last many years, I've been focusing on feeling and being happy, with wherever I am, whatever I am doing, and with whatever circumstances I am facing.

Happiness is an indescribable state of being. I feel that with the ups and downs and challenges of life, that one cannot always truly *feel* joyful or feel feelings of happiness, but one can live life overall in a state of joy, despite the ups and downs, and that state of being can extend outwards to the world.

And this is what I have set out to achieve for myself -- is a state of being -- a state of joyful living that is persistent and which permeates all that I do and which rubs off on all whom I encounter in my life.

And I do live my life in a state of joy, regardless of any down moments I experience.

Whenever something negative occurs, I can step back and look at my life from an objective bird eye viewpoint, and I can say, well, hey, all is still pretty great in my book. I have a roof over my head, I have food and clothing and I have loved ones who care me about me. Not much is needed in order to truly be happy.

And I learned this long ago while living abroad in a 3rd world country - Nepal. I lived there for 3 months, I learned the language and I lived with an impoverished family who took me into their home. It was the most eye-opening, transformative experience of my entire life.

My Nepali family and the Nepali culture taught me the art of happiness and the art of living joyfully. My family was very poor and had very little. And they were happy -- probably the happiest people I have ever known in my entire life. That says A LOT.

I am so grateful for having had that experience.

I am grateful for all my life experiences - the good, the bad and the ugly. Because I wouldn't be who I am today without those experiences.

So, I am happy...... I am jobless, but I am happy, despite this fact. Happiness is a journey as they say, and not a destination.