Have you ever looked in the mirror and realized that you’re not happy?

And you wonder why?

Well, that was me at the beginning of 2026. Maybe it was the contemplation of a new year, maybe it was adding another birthday to my long list. Who knows. What matters is that I realized it. I then asked this question to my mini recorder as I walked around my neighborhood talking to it (or myself, really).

Why am I not happy?

To answer the question, I had to ask myself what happiness is. I needed a definition so that when I found happiness, I would know that I’d reached my goal of becoming happy. I know that probably makes no sense, but stay with me. Here I am in the sunset years of my life, my hair is graying, and there are more bags under my eyes than at the airport luggage carousel. Not to mention more junk in the trunk…I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea.

I think it’s a legitimate question…this quest to know what it will take to make me happy. And I have a sneaky suspicion that many of you who are in your empty-nesting years, with some junk and bags, might be wondering the same thing.

So I decided to make 2026 a pilgrimage in search of happiness. And I added joy in there, so I could differentiate between the two and maybe find some of it too.

Come along with me on this pilgrimage. Who knows, maybe you’ll find some happiness, too.