They say that happiness is all in the mind. I’m not sure I agree with this.

There is a dorky TV commercial for a heating/air conditioning service. A dorky guy stands there and says, “Ah, happy air,” and he breathes deeply, and he smiles.

I wish feeling happy wasn’t this easy. I even tried take-out Chinese food at the restaurant called “Double Happiness.” I didn’t feel any happier after that eggplant vege dish.

I tried singing, “Oh, Happy Day.” I thought of renaming my greyhound “Happy.” Nothing is working.

During this stressful COVID time, how many people are really happy? There is no live entertainment, no concerts, no karaoke, no church choirs. I have discovered that when I sing (and it’s not really that often) that my cat Sherman howls. Am I that bad? Out of practice?

Maybe he’s unhappy, too.

But the critters are never unhappy. If I could learn their secrets to happiness, maybe I could emulate them. Hmmm, good food. Is this the secret to being content? Eating the same food every morning? Is the secret in having routine bathroom experiences? Perhaps the state of happiness lies in napping contently.

Napping used to be considered a luxury during the working years, but maybe it’s a rite of passage now. I knew of two teachers, one in his 60’s and one in his late 20’s, who mastered the supreme art of napping in the faculty lounge. They would both close their eyes while sitting upward (one actually snored for most of the 40 minute prep period), and they would both wake up totally refreshed and manage to leave for their next class with a bounce in their step.

Well, maybe a short “happy” nap would work. My Dad, who was employed as an inspection state worker and then an office worker for the state of NJ, would come home, lay on the living room carpet, flat as a pancake, and nap at 4 every afternoon for about 20 minutes. I used to ask him why he didn’t “nap” in his bed. His answer always was that he was used to napping in the foxhole trenches in Europe during World War II as an infantry soldier. He said that he and his buddies would take turns watching for the enemy. He would then get up from the carpet, exactly 20 minutes later, to start dinner before my Mom arrived home from work at 5.

Well, even comedy shoes are the vibe during COVID lockdown. I’ve tried some of the stand-up comic ones and some mainstream ones, and I just don’t think they are funny. I can’t even utter a chuckle.

I do apologize. I have discovered the secret to happiness – reruns of the sweet Golden Girls – Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia. These girls know how to be happy. They needed and loved each other.

I think that is the secret to happiness, especially during these difficult COVID days – needing and loving someone- having a purpose every day – making sure my three critters eat, sleep, and do their daily constitutions.

In return, they show their love for me in innumerable ways.