Man has been plagued since the beginning of time with the question of what life is. Religion tries to explain it, science analyzes it and we all live it.

Some people spend their lives searching for answers, but they don’t realize they are missing it. Life slips away like smoke through a keyhole. Life isn’t something we have; it’s something we do. Life is in little moments that make us smile for a lifetime. Life is happiness.

Life isn’t going to pull over and patiently wait for you. Life is out on the dirt, riding that bull for 2.7 seconds. It’s picking up a 7-10 split with two balls, shooting 18 holes with a putter or even playing cowboys and Indians with actual cowboys and Indians.

Happiness can’t be found by wondering what and where it is. Happiness is racing 200 miles an hour at Talladega chasing the “Intimidator.” Happiness is tearing through a mobile home in a 2,000-horsepower monster truck with 60,000 rednecks cheering. Happiness is in the ball soaring through the air with 1.2 seconds left in a one point game.

Happiness isn’t in only one place. It’s at the bottom of the pond where your boat now resides after being shot with a sawed-off shotgun. It’s sitting where your boat used to float with a big one on the line. It’s underneath the stars, among the trees with your guitar, friends and a campfire, telling the story of what happened to your boat. It’s explaining to the insurance man why your boat sank. Hell, it’s shooting your boat with a sawed-off shotgun just to see if that would be enough to sink it.

Happiness is trying not to throw-up after drinking a gallon of milk in less than an hour while running two miles because they said it couldn’t be done. It’s spraying breath freshener in your mouth until it goes numb and all you can do is drool. It’s hanging out at a friend’s house even though he isn’t exactly home at the time, or even in the state.

Happiness is being with friends in their time of need and vice versa. It’s knowing your family is there for you. It’s finding the one you love and spending the rest of your lives together. Happiness is being with the ones you care about, and letting them know it.

Gaze up at the stars in wonderment, and be humbled by the heavens above. Hike through the woods with a picnic basket. Lay at the edge of a pond to watch the water gently sway about. Feel a breeze surround you. Get up early to watch the sunrise, and take in the sunset that night. Life sure gains perspective.

Happiness isn’t one person, place, thing or idea. It’s all of them. Those who find happiness in life are those who find a life of happiness. The little things make life worth living. Instead of worrying about why we are here and what life is, we should enjoy life while it lasts. Life is precious and meant to be filled with memories and experiences, however fleeting. Dream big. Live small. Never forget where you came from and who you are. Smile; it won’t kill you. And if it does, then at least you die happy.