Instant Gratification

For most of my life I thought that the way to be happy was to have as many pleasurable experiences as you could. Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? But as it turns out, one of life’s many cruel whims is that happiness and pleasure are often at complete odds. For me, one of the most unpleasant things in life is writing. I hate writing. I hate having to sit down to a blank screen every day and create something. I’d so much rather curl up in front of my TV and watch some mindless movie. That would bring me a lot more pure pleasure. On the other hand, except for my boys, nothing in life brings me more happiness than writing. So on the days I do surrender to the lure of instant gratification, I wind up feeling miserable. It’s often true that while displeasure lies in the doing, happiness lies in the having done.