The envelope that came in the mail last night caught my eye. That's saying something in the email era, one in which the Postal Service has been relegated to a deliverer of bills and junk mail.
But when you get an envelope that is bright green and bears two simple words, you take notice. And I did, especially since the words were Happiness Inside.
Happiness Inside. My heart raced. What could it be? A pamphlet on family-relationship building? A guide to how to meet your neighbors? A model for less solo computer time, less mindless TV, less running around for errands -- all of which the envelope's contents would teach me to replace with deeper community connections?
Then I noticed the return address and my heart sank. DSW. Designer Shoe Warehouse. "Designer shoes. Warehouse prices." Inside, the $10 off certificate, with the words "Just what you've been waiting for..."
Just what I've been waiting for? Marketers have been telling us the same crap for decades: Buy this and you'll be happy. Just this one happiness-inducing product (which happens to be the one I get paid to sell). It's a myth and mantra we fall into so easily.
I put down the envelope, walked into the other room and playing doubles Ping-Pong. Hannah and I were defeated by Joan and Joseph 21-19. I felt happy inside.