My happiness wasn’t waiting for me in the future. It was patiently waiting for me to come back to it. It was in the afternoon I spent not being productive, but simply being present. It was in the courage to say “enough” to a life that looked successful but felt small. It was in the decision to prioritize peace over praise, and wonder over worry.

These days, I don’t chase happiness. I just try to stop getting in its way. I clear a little space, I turn down the noise, and I let it find me—which, it turns out, it was trying to do all along.