Happiness is........

Every time a celebrity self-implodes and destroys their life, I always ask myself the same question:

How did they get so unhappy?

They all begin the same way. Small kids and big dreams. It doesn't matter if you want to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium, bang out a solo on a Broadway stage, make an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, or play lead guitar for a Grammy winning rock band. If you have the talent and the desire, mix in a fair amount of timing and luck, you just might get what you came after.

Then comes the money which invariably breeds ownership of a highly coveted asset - access. Access to just about anything your heart desires. Cars, homes, jewelry, parties, people....there isn't any aspect of life beyond your reach.

For the majority of us, this would be the pinnacle. Everything we ever wanted. Or would it?

When we view the death of Whitney Houston, it makes me wonder. Here's a girl surrounded by a loving family, who begins by singing in a church. With a voice seemingly from the heavens, she ascends from the church choir to singing at the Super Bowl. She marries a fellow recording artist (I was trying to be nice to Bobby Brown), has a child, and buys a beautiful home. Fast forward a few years and it's all replaced by drugs, alcohol, and prescription medication. Where did it all go wrong?

She wasn't happy.

When it comes to happiness, even the best scientific researchers are uncertain of the root cause. Psychologists suggest that money isn't a surefire solution to being happy, and raising a family isn't an elixir either. Some have opined that the key is being happy with what you have, and not focus on what you don't. However, this usually fools most people for about a week, before they revert back to their pessimistic ways. You can theorize in the opposite direction and say that we always want what we can't have and therefore we're doomed from the start.

But that's crap.

So, I sat down and thought about the things that universally make us happy. And I'm not talking about sex. Because as we all know, sex has a way of leading to several other problems. Just ask any politician. Therefore, in no particular order, here's the short list, and for some a bucket list, of things that tend to invoke a smile, no matter your current position in life;

Ice cream - I don't know what it its, but even without toppings, this one's a surefire winner

The smell of a new car - My friends and I used to joke that if you could bottle it, chicks would attack you as if you were in an Axe commercial.

Overcoming fear - It makes no difference what your phobia is. Beat it, and you'll feel like you can do anything.

A first kiss - No matter what stage you are in your life, whether an old or new memory, this will breathe life into yours.

A good story - From a book, a film, television series, or from a friend over coffee...nothing engages us more.

Helping others - I've yet to meet anyone who donated their time or money to a good cause and didn't feel better afterwards.

Friends that tell you the truth - We have a tendency to surround ourselves with those who like us, not those who tell us like it is.

A baby's smile- Watching a baby smile reminds us all of the purity and innocence we once had, that we spend the rest of our lives trying to get back.

I hope you find what truly makes you happy. Maybe that's why I keep writing.