Redefining Happiness Poem by Jim Yerman

I knew a man who searched for happiness…yet never did he find it.
It seems to me if that's the case…then perhaps he misdefined it.

For I knew another man who never searched for happiness…yet it found him every day.
Happiness fell on him like raindrops…in a host of different ways.

It found him in a sunrise at the beginning of each day
It found him in the smile from strangers he met along the way.

In the birds he loved to watch soar across the sky…higher…ever higher
In the towel he used to dry himself…fresh out the dryer.

It found him in his favorite chair on a rainy day with a good book
Tossing stones across a lake or leaves in a babbling brook.

Some days happiness entered through his nose…a savory encounter
Roses in bloom, freshly cut grass…cookies cooling on the counter

An ice cream cone, baby animals…on a windy day flying a kite
A touch, a hug, a kiss goodbye…a warm fireplace on a wintry night.

Blowing bubbles, sharing memories, the color blue…the color red
Catching snowflakes on his tongue…fresh sheets upon his bed.

It found him as he raised a donut…about to take a bite…
As the sun set at the end of the day and the stars peeked through the night.

Perhaps if the man who searches for happiness….truly wants to find it
He should change the way he approaches it…and simply redefine it.

Perhaps he doesn't need to search so hard…doesn't need a roadmap or a handbook.
Perhaps happiness is closer than he realizes…all he has to do...is look.