Great piece and observations, Mark. Yes, happiness, like sadness are fleeting (not to be confused with mania nor depression) signals as to on the one hand what we enjoy and seek to replicate and on the other hand what should avoid. One of my early stories and many times repeated by me since says: "I seek contentment, which is not settling but a hopefully high-altitude baseline, coming from within and connection to without. It doesn’t stem from the acquisition of attachments but awareness of connection to the world and the universe as a living, breathing, and heart-beating organism and from alignment of mind and soul and discerning my why — my drive — from discovering who I am at my core."

Perverence though--that one is a overrated or perhaps misused by many. See my recent https://medium.com/queen-s-children/answers-you-seek-often-found-both-within-and-without-you-and-with-a-little-help-from-your-friends-70c669fdda37