Each of us is programmed from childhood to move forward: to set goals, to conquer peaks, to wait for the moment when the "real" life begins. We postpone happiness until later - until a new role, a move or a loved one's success.
But one day a quiet evening comes when the commotion subsides. You look back and realize with horror: all these years you were running after a mirage. You were waiting for a special occasion, and life consisted of those days when you flew past me at full speed.
The real tragedy is not that we didn't make it to the top. The one that along the way we lost the ability to enjoy simple things: morning coffee, the warmth of loved ones, the silence outside the window.
Happiness is not a finish line. This is exactly the way we tried so hard to shorten. Learning to appreciate what is here and now is perhaps the only way not to live life in vain.