Today, I sat on a blanket below an arching canopy of oak trees, enjoying a picnic lunch with my boyfriend at the White Point Garden near the Battery. We had a sandwich from Jersey Mike's (our favorite: a #8, Mike's way with banana peppers), our favorite guacamole, and strawberry lemonade as we talked about the architecture of the houses that lined the street across from us, and also admired the dogs that passed. It was, for me, a perfect afternoon.

The funny thing about life is we are always searching for *the* next thing. Goals are important, but the older I get and the more I experience, the more I realize that the concept, itself, of reaching a long-sought-after-goal has only ever provided me with brief gratification. After that little wave of relief that immediately follows, there are always new responsibilities, new things to strive for, new goals to make.

For most of my life, I think I've had this ideology that accomplishing my goals was the sure fire way to achieve happiness; that being happy is a linear process.

Society ultimately imposes that; from a young age, we're spoon-fed the American Dream. Go to school, go to college, find a career, find a husband/wife, find a house, raise children. Then we'll be happy. Or we're supposed to find it somewhere in all that, I guess. We're told that "if you do this, then this will happen, then this, and so on, and so forth, and then you'll be content, secure.

Most people I know have divorced parents, money problems, family issues; they suffer from some glitch in that perfect plan for ultimate happiness. But that really seems to be the rule, not the exception. A perfect formula for happiness doesn't really exist. We must find happiness in each day, not "someday."

I don't know what tomorrow will bring. Or next week. Or next year. But Today, I was Truly Happy. And I think my new goal is going to find True Happiness in each day.