Other Useful Feelings

Happiness is good—I like feeling happy.

But much of the time my internal state is more complex than one word can contain.

Maybe I’m happy with a hint of malaise or whiff of chagrin or the subtle tang of disquiet.

I may be in the midst of an ineffable unease, and though I can sometimes recount my day and trace such sensations to insufficient sleep or a missed meal or an inharmonious interaction, there are times when I find it’s useful to check in on other, oft under-appreciated dispositi...