“Pursuing happiness, and I did, and still do, is not at all the same as being happy- which I think is fleeting, dependent on circumstances, and a bit bovine.
If the sun is shining, stand in it- yes, yes, yes. Happy times are great, but happy times pass- they have to- because time passes.
The pursuit of happiness is more elusive; it is lifelong, and it is not goal-centered.
What you are pursuing is meaning- a meaningful life. …There are times when it will go so wrong that you will barely be alive, and times when you realize that being barely alive, on your own terms, is better than living a bloated half-life on someone else’s terms.
The pursuit isn’t all or nothing- it’s all and nothing. Like all quest stories”
Oh, I how relate to this quote! I love Jeanette Winterson’s writing. I’ve read several of her novels, but this particular quote comes from her memoir Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal. Winterson illustrates with such candor and honesty how it is when the mind works with its own brokenness. It reminds me that none of us are ever to broken or damaged to be able to live a meaningful life.
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