If happiness had a clear, unambiguous course of travel,
Would you follow it to the T?
Would you not get distracted by what lies before you
On the path as you travel to get there?

Would you go by car?  Perhaps that pace is too fast
And one sideways glance away, you might miss
The next mark on the road.

I’d choose to go by foot.  I imagine that happiness is like
A hiking trail with blue square postmarks.
Some are new and bright blue.
They are easy to decipher.

Along the more difficult terrain,
The marks may be dull and faded.
Can we trust that we are being led to happiness?

What means happiness to me
May not be happiness to you.
So we must have a clear definition of what is happiness
Before we embark on this journey.

Or perhaps it is the course of travel itself
That illuminates the path to joy.

Is happiness the end point?