Where does happiness lie?

So where does the happiness lie? Is it when your favourite song plays up next on Spotify? Or is it when your dog comes to you when you arrive home? Or is it when the person walking to you smiles back? Or is it in the smoke you blow out from the first puff of your cigarette? Or is it in the notification tone of someone's message? Or maybe in the last bite of the meal you prepared after a long day? Where does your happiness lie?

Have you experienced it when you wake up in morning and the mirror smiles back? Also, on some days you can't recognize yourself in the same mirror? If the happiness was there, then why don't you always see it there? Where does it go? Does it like to play hide and seek? If that is true then somedays, it's definitely good at it. You keep trying to find but its nowhere to be seen. But, somehow it does return to you, just like your dog returns when he gets bored of all his toys and running around everything he puts his eye on. But what if someday it doesn't come back. What if you keep looking and it's gone. Scary day.

People say, happiness is not your dog, not your song, not your cigarette and not even your person. Then what is it? They talk wise things, talk about spiritual stuff. That, Happiness lies within you, Happiness is the fruit of your soul. Its the fragrance of the nectar that originates from you and spreads into the universe around you. Lots of mumble jumble. But are we wise? We believe what we see. Wait, do we even believe anything? Maybe some believe, mostly because it becomes habit due to the daily exposure or if someone is making you listen to their beliefs or making you do things until it becomes a part of it. But can happiness be a belief? Can you just listen to mumble jumble of others about happiness and start believing in it? Maybe yes, like we do to most of the things in life which are the core of our living but should be ignored/hold a belief if we want to live unbothered.

What if one refuses to believe and inquire on their own. Then you are welcome to the life long journey of daily chaos which comes with questioning everything. The curiosity will take you to places you could never dream. It would make you climb to the top of Mount Happiness but then you might see yourself fall flat on your face and soon rolling down the next day. This path next to the river of inquiry has a view of trees that glows with the sunlight but the same trees will make your mind scream with fear against the dull sky in the background. So, is it worth it to walk down this lane? or should one start believing what the wise one or maybe some not so wise ones, from the society, are saying? They seem happy. Are they?

We need to decide. The clock is ticking. The ticking of the clock against the loud silence is maddening. Sometimes removing the battery from the clock can also lead you to happiness. So where does the happiness lie? Is it in the ticking of the clock? In silence? In you? I dont know, I have been asking you the question since the beginning.