Hi all of my lovely readers! I'm on vacation, so it's more difficult to find the time and the wireless signal to respond to comments. Sorry for the delay—here I go!

Sugar, it's good to hear you've been on a happiness kick! I'd love to hear more about the book you mentioned. And I think you nailed this: "We can trick ourselves into thinking that we’re not experiencing happiness if it’s not at a euphoric level. We undervalue simple joys and the feeling of contentment..."

Meagan, you are the expert on this topic, in my mind, so I'm really glad you enjoyed the post. :) In some ways, I wonder if we aren't protecting ourselves against disappointment when we train ourselves to find happiness in smaller things—not that that's a bad thing to do.... I love your comment about happiness in small, quiet moments: "I think kids understand that instinctively; it’s our culture that beats that appreciation of the small things out of them."

Dave, money is a great issue to bring into this discussion, particularly during summer, when family vacation season is upon us, and also during a recession, when most people are being more careful with money. The well-known saying "you can't buy happiness" is true, as we all know from watching the lives (and deaths) of celebrities like Michael Jackson. Perhaps we just need to remind ourselves of that a bit more often, in more concrete ways, taking joy in what's right in front of us.