Cracked.com is hardly the most trustworthy or scientific of websites around, but ever since they put out an article on why our ideas about happiness are inaccurate, it has had me looking at life in a different way. Adjusting your expectations so that you are aware you’ll be depressed at times, that your mood shall shift, and nothing will ever bring a never-ending smile to your face, life becomes a bit less stressful.

2014 has been a rough year on me thus far. I hadn’t been able to work an entire week in January or February due to some combination of the weather or illness, which was only made worse as my car’s tires, which I had been planning to replace, had started going flat. Half of them, in fact. This was, of course, merely the icing on the cake as my car’s battery had died. Now that I have a new battery and new tires, the check engine light on my car has come on, indicating a problem with a part I had fixed half a year ago.

Amidst all of this stress, I had finally gotten a chance to visit my doctor. The news was not completely surprising. I’m overweight, and I could have a blood pressure problem. What was startling was receiving word that my bloodwork revealed a potential problem with my liver.

Yet this worrisome situation has only spurred me to begin exercising and eating differently, a transformation I’ve attempted several times and have, for whatever reason, always stopped. Now I am almost thirty, and for the first time I’m facing the potential health problems birthed by ignorance and apathy.

Last night, I managed to feel what I can only imagine is the modern idea of “happiness”. From the moment I got home from work I was busy. I decided I would make barbecue pulled chicken for the first time, applying a flavored rub to the cutlets before slow-cooking them with a bacon flavored barbecue sauce. I know it may not sound healthy, but it’s certainly healthier than eating a pop-tart or a cheese steak for lunch at work. With that settled, I then walked to my apartment’s fitness center, listening to some of my favorite music whilst walking on the treadmill.

The night concluded with a small yet delicious dinner, watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with my roommate, and working on the next RamblePak video before I tended to my barbecue experiment. The smell had permeated the entire apartment, and had me excited as I took two forks to the chicken, shredding it apart. The experiment was a success, as my roommate and I tried some before I packed it into the refrigerator. Easy to make, and all in all not too expensive for how many days it would last me.

So what’s the point of all these details? This isn’t a LiveJournal, after all, it’s a game blog.

It’s all in that idea of happiness. That desire for the euphoric discharge of chemicals within our brain, making it feel as if the very cells in our body are dancing, to continue on perpetually and forever. While it is impossible to be in a constant state of bliss, I found true contentment in a single night. Exercise, productivity, and satisfaction.

Life has been handing me lemons for the past two months, and I’ve finally managed to throw them away and make some barbecue instead. I may not be “happy”, but I’m satisfied with life right now.

I only hope to continue this level of productivity regularly enough that I can fool myself into believing I’m “happy”.