19 August 2000
Letters and happiness
Deadlines and such have kept me busy for the past couple of weeks. I love my work at djuice, it's interesting and challenging, but it really is good to be able to spend an entire weekend doing nothing but relaxing, reading and writing. And so, that is what
I've been doing ever since I came home from work yesterday. Mostly, I've been writing letters to friends I should have written long ago, people I care about, but who just happens to be friends of such a nature that they won't hold it against me when I don't write them quite as often as I should. Admittedly, I didn't write all that many letters, but that's mainly due to the fact that when I do write a letter, it's rarely shorter than 5 pages. Sometimes I'll write 15 pages - but I've learned that letters as long as that tend to keep people from writing me back, because they feel they have to write as much for me. Well, that is not the case. Letters of any length make me happy, and I'm aware that my letters are a bit out of the norm. So, don't hold back - if you feel like sending me a letter or just a couple of lines, no matter how long or short - do it! I like nothing better than finding something other than spam in my mail. And, of course, you are more than welcome to remind me when a letter going your way is overdue. I can't promise you it'll help, but generally, the people I feel the worst about not
writing, are the ones at the top of my "letters to write" list. But my friends, they are understanding, in general they wait for me to write them without complaint - and perhaps they get some wicked kind of pleasure from knowing that my bad conscience is killing me because I haven't written them for a long time. I hope they do - I deserve it. To all of you - I love you for your patience, and if you haven't heard from me today, you will... well, soon...
A while back, in a previous digression, I asked anybody who thought they knew the true meaning of happiness to write me and let me know. And someone wrote me and told me that "Happiness is a desire for that which you already have" - and of course that is a very good definition, and very well put, as I wrote back to tell the person in question. But it isn't the meaning of happiness. I may be mistaken, but I still don't think happiness is an entity which carries any meaning in itself. There is nothing in particular you should obtain from it, it's just a very pleasant feeling to have. Still, if you don't agree, you are welcome to write me - I'd love to see some meaning in the
happiness I experience.
Maybe I'll have to write about the concept of happiness again, the way I see it, to make myself clear. Hmmm - I think that would be a digression full of digressions...
Finally, I'd like to repeat something from an earlier digression: If there's anything you'd like me to write about, let me know. If I like your idea, I will do it.
All writings copyright 1991-2002, Monique Marquard
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