Everything is unpacked, organized, and ready to be utilized as I settle in my new home. Moving out on my own once again, I feel at peace. As I lay in my room and listen to the song “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi, it has me thinking about the concept of it all: the pursuit of happiness. It isn’t something that’s truly understood until you become much older and have a good grasp of the world around you, but the pursuit of happiness can be said to begin from the moment you enter this world and experience what happiness is for the very first time. That feeling of happiness is so wonderful that you start to figure out what makes you happy in order to experience that expression once more. At first, it may seem like something insignificant like food, or a toy, or even attention from your loved ones. However, as time passes you come to obtain dreams and goals in your life and the path to reach them becomes understood as “the pursuit of happiness”. It’s the dream of the future that we envision ourselves to inherit and experience down the road that drives and fuels this pursuit. The journey itself is one that can be filled with frustration and hardship, but it can also be one filled with excitement and wonder.

For as long as I can remember, I knew what would make me happy down the road. I would be content with having a loving family, a wonderful job that would both support my family and satisfy my passions, and work to help others in order to pass on the loving nature that has remained with me for many years as love can only be perpetuated by love. When I get down to the specifics, my goal was to be a professional chemist working in a lab and working to uncover the mysteries of science for the betterment of human society. While those things may be my long term goals, the short term ones are just as important. Around this age in my life, I envisioned myself to be a bachelor living on my own, having a wonderful relationship with a wonderful woman and enjoy the celebrations and splendors of our youth amongst the many people of my generation. While 2 out of 3 of those goals have been realized, finding that relationship remains to be unfulfilled and desired. It serves as a reminder that not everything will happen the way you plan it and that it takes having a little flexibility with your expectations in order to adjust to setbacks or disappointment. However, I remain ever confident that the relationship I seek will be realized and that the foundation for which my long term goals can blossom will be constructed. It’s important to keep in mind that with enough hard work, determination, and perseverance, things will fall into place. When, where, and how they will is something that remains to be unknown at the time. But in the end, isn’t that what gives life its wonder? The various possibilities? The many scenarios waiting to unfold? The true excitement of the pursuit of happiness lies in the suspense of seeing how everything plays out and it’s the rush that allows me to remain fueled and consistent with regards to the pursuit itself. My hope is at the end of the road, I look back on the pursuit that I undertook to reach the future I envisioned and smile without any regrets.