Thoughts on happiness

"Happiness is not a destination, but a mood"

I heard this quote on a show I was watching the other night and it really struck me. The person who said it gave an explanation afterward and to me it made complete sense. People always treat happiness as though it were a destination. As if when something particular happens in their life they will then be happy. I honestly used to think about happiness this way. When I graduate college, I'll be happy. When I meet the man I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with, that's happiness. When I'm able to be a mother, that's happiness. All of these things are happiness, but they are not the end. Right now, I used to think when I can work in the career I want to and have the family I have, I will be happy. Those things would make me happy, yes, but they should not be my destination. If you look at happiness as a mood...something which comes and goes...the outlook on things for me is completely different. The definition of happiness shows it is a feeling, not a goal:
"Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy." Some other states of mind or feelings in which we have in our daily life...hunger, fear, anger, sadness...all of these are temporary. I wanted to share this because it made me think of how I'm always pursuing happiness and not really enjoying it when it does come along. The only reason why I remember all of the other "feelings" is because they are mostly the opposite of happy. But we have to embrace all feelings...even the bad ones. So it's okay to feel sad and angry and scared...because most of those things will lead to at least a small moment you can experience happiness.
I've had a lot of things happen in my life where I wish they didn't...but now when I think about it...I'm not "happy" they happened, but I understand the feelings they gave me and how they have allowed me to recognize true happiness, and how it too is only temporary. Until the next does comes around.