purpose = happiness?

There is a very wise friend I have (who coincidently does not consider himself wise and is perhaps therefore more fun to be around) whom I love to quote. And as I've been walking around China the last week or so in a deep state of simple contentment, I've been thoughtfully chewing on a favorite quote by this friend of mine.

The first time I remember him saying it was when we were walking on a long, dusty red road to the local market in Yei, Sudan. We had another good three miles or so to go, so I thought it would be a great time to check up on how he's doing. We've just been to hell and back with extreme heat, bouts of malaria and other deadly illnesses and so far I haven't heard him complain - I wondered if he really was okay, or just needed a little prodding to talk. He said he was doing well and there was a note of sincerity in his voice, but I decided to press it further and asked if he was really fine after that month or two of hardship - and I still can't forget that moment when he gave me a slight smile and said, "you know, I figure that if I'm not happy here, I probably won't be happy anywhere else."

Such profound truth in such simplicity! So we walked on that day, covered in sweat and red dust from the road, malaria parasites dwelling in our livers and not much to our name than what the war-torn Sudanese have, but in perfect happiness that hollywood stars only dream of.

I honestly have it unbelievably good here in China. My apartment is amazing - a queen size bed, air conditioning, hot running water, no squatty potties, nice neighborhood, wireless internet, big tv/dvd player, etc.etc. My chinese lessons have been amazing and my teachers are quickly becoming friends, the Korean church I visited yesterday incredibly loving - and all this in one of the most beautiful, cleanest and safest cities in China.

I've been juxtaposing the two situations - one in Sudan and the other in China - on the way home today and realized something: Overall, there really hasn't been a time that I've been unhappy since my school in Salem in 2005. Of course there were ups and downs, hard times and good times, and many evenings when all I wanted was a potent glass of scotch, but there has been, is and will be such deep satisfaction in knowing that I'm living my life the way I am supposed to live and going the way that I'm supposed to go. I feel the same level of happiness now as my time in Sudan, one of the hardest periods in my life in the last three years.

So yes. I am pretty dang happy, even without my glass of whiskey or a good looking man on my arm - totally interchangeable of course (please note the sarcasm) - I know who I am, that I'm right where I'm supposed to be and that I am deeply loved by an unconditional fire that would never die. It's a good life.