Have you ever wondered if happiness comes in small boxes? Not the kind you unwrap with a bow—though that’s nice too—but those fleeting, glowing moments that slip into your day unexpectedly, like sun through the blinds. I’ve started to believe that an hour of true happiness is more valuable than a whole day of pretending everything’s fine. Anyway, happiness, in its purest form, isn’t meant to last forever. Maybe it’s meant to sparkle, not shine constantly. After all, if we were euphorically happy all the time… wouldn’t it lose its magic?

Sometimes I think happiness is a bit like caffeine or chocolate—something you crave, something that wakes you up, but you can’t live on it alone. Just enough to keep you going until the next dose. A delightful little addiction we chase without shame. A sweet, stupid grin you can’t wipe off, no matter how hard life tries to shake it off your face. Endorphins, I know. But still—it feels like more than science.

With time, I’ve stopped chasing the grand, cinematic version of happiness. I’ve grown into the kind of woman who smiles at mismatched socks and half-made beds. I’ve learned that a few honest, clumsy words can mean more than a hundred polished ones. And that joy doesn’t always knock—it sometimes slips in quietly while you’re choosing which tea to drink or watching your child laugh with toothpaste still on their chin.

True happiness, the kind that makes your chest feel too small for your heart, is rare. But when it hits—oh, it changes you. You might find yourself doing things you’d never expect. Like dancing barefoot in your kitchen. Or standing on a cupboard posing for photos like a ’90s rockstar. Or lighting a cigarette just because the moment feels too wild not to, even if you’ve never smoked in your life.

And just like that, you’ll wish time would freeze. That someone somewhere would bottle the air in that room and label it Tuesday at 11:47 a.m. so you can breathe it in again later.

Happiness really is magical. Not because it lasts forever, but because it reminds us we’re alive.