choosing happiness

can a person *choose* to be (or to become) happy? is it possible?

i didn't used to think so; in fact, i remember disagreeing very strongly (more than ten years ago) with a good friend on that very subject -- that i could simply choose to be more happy. (i guess i thought happiness was something like the slope of a mathematical function -- something derived from an equation.)

but now maybe i've changed my mind. maybe she could see that i had it in me to find happiness from within myself and that it didn't require some false-fairy-tale happy ending.

i've already *had* the happy ending; now i just have to enjoy it (and myself) properly. i choose happiness! whee!