Being rebelliously happy feels like the most accurate way to describe it with the general state of things. But this essay isn't about the general state of things. It's about happiness.

There's an argument like: now is all there ever is, so you may as well be happy now. It's a fine argument, though dangerously close to circular, maybe elliptical. It helps me steer toward happiness when I am so fortunate to remember it. Happy memories are great bang for the buck because they multiply the original happiness when remembered, like sharing fire from candle to candle.

Great sensory experiences like a favorite song or some perfect weather. Conversations with a close friend. A good night's sleep. A good day's work.

A particular mindset works like alchemy to transmute struggle into happiness. I was working on a project yesterday and I got stuck on something. That's expected, it happens every work session. But what doesn't happen every session is the thought that arose while in the stuck: "This not knowing is everything, it's all of life. Everyone who's ever done anything great or forgettable has had this experience. It's universal." Feeling this tie to a humanity that's drifting apart made me happy.

Shifting the frame attracts happiness. "How can they better understand me?" becomes "how can I better understand them?" "What am I missing?" becomes "what do I have?" "What do I regret?" becomes "What do I look forward to?"

And, in a pinch, literally smiling is worth a try.