10/06/2026
As we're moving into Harvest season and the Fall, I keep thinking back to when I was lucky enough to experience the Panama Canal (Canal de Panamál) in person. It's one of those places that's difficult to fully grasp until you see it for yourself — the enormous ships, the vast stretches of water, and the incredible ingenuity of a system that moves them across what was once solid land.
One of the most fascinating things to watch was a massive ship making its way through the locks right beside us. Over the course of several photos, you can actually see it being lifted, step by step, as the water levels change around it.
And that got me thinking about something we talk about often at the Happiness Club: sometimes the size of the challenge in front of us can make us forget that we only have to take the next step.
The ships moving through the canal don't leap from one side to the other. They rise level by level. Slowly. Precisely. One stage at a time.
Even the enormous holding basin, where ships can wait for days before their turn, was a reminder that progress doesn't always look like movement. Sometimes, we're simply waiting for the right moment to move forward.
It can be easy to look at a big goal, a major change, or something we want for our lives and feel overwhelmed by everything it will take to get there. But maybe we don't need to solve the whole thing at once;
-Start small.
-Take the next step.
-Don't let the size of the challenge stop you from beginning.
And, perhaps most importantly, remember to notice the journey along the way. Happiness isn't only waiting for us at the other side. There is plenty of it to be found in the process of getting there.
