Happiness Fostered

The Declaration of Independence claims for all of us inalienable Rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  We are grateful for this warranty; but a close look reveals a curious contradiction that in life none of these rewards are free; they come constricted with ineluctable boundaries.  There is no Life without the menace of Death which too often terminates it capriciously; Liberty is limited by the bodily capacity and social codes and mores.  Then, Happiness pursued is elusive like Maeterlinck’s Blue Bird.  What I learned in my life of 80 years is that Happiness is nurtured, not pursued; it is fostered only with creative effort and hard work.