"The pleasure you are after is not to be found in a milieu where there are larger pleasures, or else you would not be seeking it." ~ Victor Hugo
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Despite what your friends and family tell you, the pursuit of small pleasures is a good thing. It keeps you from being too stressed out over the important things in your life. A good way to describe having small pleasures is that you don't bother yourself about the "big stuff," the things that really matter in life, but rather focus on the "little pleasures" that make your life fun and interesting.

Are there any times that you find yourself saying "I can't live without... this... or that?" Well, the answer is yes. All of the time. The pursuit of small pleasures, even the joys that seem difficult to find because we can't seem to find them often, is a part of our human nature. It's what keeps us going.

The "big and beautiful things" that we can't afford to spend our lives on are the result of our pursuit of small pleasures. We spend our entire lives working to achieve those "big and beautiful things", only to be disappointed when those things aren't available to us at a price we can afford. The pursuit of small pleasures, however, is how we get to enjoy those things that are "right for us". And the "right things" are the result of the pursuit of small pleasures. The pursuit of pleasure is the birth of happiness.

Why is it that some people find it so hard to find joy in even the simplest things? Why is it that everyone seems to have "it" - in their minds? Well, there is an answer. It's called "the power of addiction." People with addictions are constantly searching for more pleasure and excitement. They want that all the time.

The problem with most addiction is that it develops in response to psychological pressures. The pressure to "keep up with the Joneses," "have enough material things," "have enough friends," and so on, creates an environment where "pleasure is a thing" for people, and in its acquisition it becomes addicting. If the desire to "have" something is strong enough, it takes over our will and overrides all our conscious decisions. That's how easy it is to fall into the trap of addiction.

But there is one way to overcome addiction to "pleasure", and that is by realizing that small pleasures are part of the bigger happiness. True happiness, as St. Paul calls it, is not the pleasure of sense (it involves intellect, which most people think is the essence of pleasure) but the pleasure of the will. This is what happiness is. True pleasures in the form of small pleasures, for the moment, will fill the entire happiness of the will.

True happiness is found in small pleasures, for the moment. They do not necessarily have to be very great in order to be satisfying. When we find deep satisfaction, in small, delightful pleasures, then that is when we have found complete happiness. The happiness of the will transcend all the pleasures of sense and becomes the pleasure of the will.

In order to experience this joy, however, we must make ourselves small, not only mentally but also in our body. That means that the more pleasure we can get in one area, the more pleasure we should seek in others. If we get more pleasure from others' suffering, then that is a good reason for helping them. And if we help more people and see more people happy, then we will feel happier ourselves. That means that the larger your joy, the larger your happiness will be.

Pleasures are incomplete without enjoyment. So, if we want to be happy, then we must find enjoyment in other people, in the world, in work, and in ourselves. The more we have joy in our own lives, the more we will have the pleasure in the world and in others. It's a dialectic thing.

So, to find true happiness, we must find small pleasures in things that interest us, in people, and in the world. As long as there are people who find joy and happiness in small pleasures, they will always have enough to share with others. And when the world is a small place full of large and small pleasures, it's easier to share them with others.