the owl and the olive tree

I get very wistful when I hear people discuss the concept of happiness in terms of on and off, as if it were some sort of binary condition-- this makes me happy, that doesn't. Or if happiness was a collectible commodity; if I have x amount of this it will result in y amounts of happy. I feel happiness must be practiced, and can only be evaluated in the long term, and I also believe it is hard work. I try to think of happiness as a skill, like wood carving or calligraphy (or playing the guitar, which I seem to suck at). I believe it is Aristotle that considered happiness only achievable through the process of living. It's interesting that these days there seems to be some research to back up his concept, as I understand it, that living a life filled with good deeds and kindness will further the practice of happiness, and that wealth will not get the job done, but a certain level of poverty makes the process of achieving a skill in happiness very difficult. Happiness should be a project that is not dependent on a moment's pleasure, but on the cumulative effort of an individual through out their life time-- on the sum of all the parts of their existence. I have appreciated being poor, it has made me much richer than if I hadn't been (sigh, sorry, I will shut up now. Four hours of sleep makes me spout this sort of nonsense)