“My God, a moment of bliss. Why, isn’t that enough for a whole lifetime?” – Fodor Dostoevsky

“But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?” – Albert Camus

“Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.” – Emily Dickinson

Find some. Find all three if you can.

We know that pleasure, happiness and joy won’t stay, anymore than flowers stay, or rainbows. But, does our knowledge of their impermanence keep us from enjoying flowers and rainbows? Well maybe it does for some. For me though, it makes the beauty, that graces these mere moments, infinitely more precious. It whispers to my soul that I’m too busy looking over my shoulder at what was, and that I need to look at what is. It beguiles me out of my worries about a phantom tomorrow, that I may not live to see, instead enticing me to pay attention to what’s in front of me. And when the final arc of color has faded from sight, the pleasure of seeing it becomes a memory. The memory smooths out to happiness, and settles into joy, as we let go of the image. The feeling becomes a picture written on our heart, like the last notes of a favorite song resting in our minds.

When any of these three grace our lives, it’s best to stop and appreciate their presence. They’re small gifts along our way. They’re brought to us for free. So say thank you to whomever, or whatever, you believe is responsible and set your burdens aside.

I hope you find your rainbows and flowers today in whatever form they may take.