What makes me happy?

It's strange, really, but I'm generally at my happiest when I can make the people around me... well, happy.

Don't get me wrong, I can be as happy as the next person when I sit on the couch, washing down a good pizza with some good beer while watching a really good (or bad, for that matter) sci-fi movie.

I'm also happy enjoying a sundowner while watching a spectacular sunset and taking enough photos of it to clog half my phone's storage, or reading "Chapter 1" of that book I've been burning to read for ages.

And there are plenty of other things that make me happy, enough to compensate for all those periods of negativity and heartache.

But doing something meaningful for someone else? That's taking things to a whole new level. Whether through something bigger like financial aid to a friend or loved one, to something small like a kind word to a stranger at a moment they seemed to need it most, there's just something about lifting someone else's spirit - that moment you see the weight being lifted - which no drug can emulate, even if it tried.

That's what makes everything worth it; that gives new meaning to what often feels like a meaningless life, because you know you've meant something to someone, regardless if it was for a substantial period or just a single moment.

And while the movie never lasts (nor the pizza and beer), the feeling of purpose you get from a meaningful act can last a lifetime.

So, yes, that's what makes me happy, although you can bet your behind that I'll still be enjoying my pizza-and-beer movie night this weekend, come hell or high water.

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