Page 41 - November 2020 Voices

FIELD NOTES

Tackling the Happiness Gap!

B. Lee Coyne, ATMS

Thanksgiving connotes gratitude. But being to please a multitude of tastebuds in various
grateful for what? cultures.
My interpretation of that question is that Music tastes also diverge. Some prefer rock ‘n’
we utter thanks for narrowing our very own roll while others veer toward the classical. There

Happiness Gap. That quintessential pursuit of are fans of jazz. Others will dig folk. Some may
happiness is, on close examination, truly a highly even pick none of the above.
individualistic search. Vacations offer variety as well. It’s beaches
There’s an old saying that “one man’s bread is or mountains or meandering museums. Some

another man’s poison.” Taken at face value, that are urban oriented while others go toward quiet
suggests that human goals vary a lot. All men rural back road drives. Still others don’t mind
may be born equal but like the tree we witness, wilderness camping.
we branch out differently. Love is often a star attraction yet factual

Happiness happens to mean more than tactual preferences differ with the couple. Some
a mere escape from misery. It hints at the caresses are messes yet others are blessed. All of
acquisition of some measure of joy. And just which makes real the line that says “different
what constitutes joy is predicated on the panoply strokes for different folks.” HAPPINESS has no

of our life experiences. solitary meaning.
Food can bring us some contentment. Yet Like beauty, it is in the mind of the beholder.
life serves us a salad bar variety. Recipes differ Are you happy you’ve learned that truth??

Happy Thanksgiving

VOICES! | NOVEMBER 2020 41