MeaningofHappiness"Areyouhappy？"Iaskedmybrother，Lan，oneday，"Yes．No．Itdependswhatyoumean，"hesaid．"Thentellme，"Isaid，"whenwasthelasttimeyouthinkyouwerehappy？""A

　　Meaning of Happiness

　　"Are you happy？"I asked my brother，Lan，one day，

　　"Yes．No．It depends what you mean，"he said．

　　"Then tell me，"I said，"when was the last time you think you were happy？"

　　"April 1967，"he said，

　　It served me right for putting a serious question to someone who has joked his way through life．But Lan's answer reminded me that when we think about happiness，we usually think of something extraordinary，a pinnacle（顶点） of sheer （纯粹的） delight，（71）___

　　（72）___ I remember playing police and robbers in the woods，getting a speaking part in the school play．Of course，kids also experience lows，but their delight at such peaks of pleasure as winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved．

　　In the teenage years，the concept of happiness changes．（73）___I can still feel the pain of not being invited to a party that almost everyone else was going to．I also remember the great happiness of being invited at another event to dance with a very handsome young man．

　　In adulthood the things that bring great joy-birth，love，marriage-also bring responsibility and the risk of loss．Love may not last； loved ones die．For adults，happiness is complex．

　　My dictionary defines"happy"as"lucky"or"fortunate"．But I think a better definition of happiness is"the ability to enjoy something"．（74）___ It's easy to overlook the pleasure we get from loving and being loved，the company of friends，the freedom to live where we please，even good health．

　　While happiness may be more complex for us，the solution is the same as ever．Happiness isn't about what happens to us； it's the ability to find a positive for every negative，and view a difficulty as a challenge．（75）___

　　A．For a child，happiness has a magic quality．

　　B．You never know where happiness will turn up next．

　　C．So we chase it and make it equal to wealth