Happiness times three

I wish I remembered who came up with this very clever observation : "Happiness is having something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to." It seems somewhat trite, ordinary, but the insight is quite brilliant. My father's sister devotes her life to a stellar career in social services, and has always had people in her life, in friends, family, colleagues, so her life is well balanced. I think that is what is so insightful about the 3 part equation : that it speaks of the importance of balance. You start taking out one of the equations, and life quickly becomes more precarious. People who are very ill may have family and friends around to keep them focused, and keep them company, so they have someone to love, and something to do, but the part about having something to look forward to when you are terminally ill becomes very elusive. Someone in prison for a long time may have something to do, hopefully, and something to look forward to, like parole, but the having someone to love becomes very precarious behind bars. People in restrictive and abusive relationships, people who live under governments who curtail their liberties and inhibit their freedom to express themselves, may have people to love, and something to do, but the part of having something to look forward to is seriously bruised or at times completely denied. As far as I can tell, from these examples,and from my own life, happiness needs all three parts to be possible. Like Lego blocks that are left unbalanced when one is taking out of a structure, so happiness quickly becomes elusive and reality painful when not all three parts of the formula are in place. I saw this in a heart breaking way in an abused animal I stood up for last year right in my neighbor's yard. The animal was about as unhappy as any living creature can ever be. He was tied up to a chain, alone up to 10 hours a day, no shelter, no company, and was always yelled at and ignored. I am so glad that with a year of consistent persistence, I finally got Animal Services to charge the man with animal abuse and the case was turned over to the Sheriff's Department. This animal had nothing to do, no one to love, and nothing to look forward to, with the exception of my consoling him,and giving him food and water, and promising him I would get him help , which finally came after almost a year of persistent documentation, witness information, pictures and phone calls. That poor animal was living in hell. It took heaven and earth to get him out, and I pray his second chance at life gave him all he would need for basic happiness: something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to. All sentient beings deserve at least that. Happiness is a precarious thing. If you have it, and have it abundantly, please, feel free to share it abundantly, and look around you. Maybe your awareness can bring things back in balance for a friend, a neighbor, or even a desperately lonely dog.