5 Euro Copper New Year coin Happiness is a bird, Austria 2022

Happiness is a bird. So says the popular Viennese folk song with the same title. The metaphor is an expression of the essential truth that happiness is fleeting, fragile and hard to keep hold of.

Not that we should be discouraged, as it is this very elusiveness that makes happiness worth striving for and why we should have the strength and courage to keep pursuing it. This message is particularly apt for the challenging times in which we are currently living. Destiny may force us to  take a rest, continues the song, which is exactly what has happened to most of us in the last couple of years, when we have had to put life on hold and be patient. This has also forced us to appreciate the meaning of solidarity, another key message of the song. The bird on the coin doesn't have a big heart for nothing.

So If you find happiness in 2022, enjoy it while you can – until the next time, at least.