'I Have Absolutely No Idea What I Need to Be Happy!'

Learning to feel more is a lot like learning to swim.

On Time Off Time (1948) by Dorothea Tanning

This column ran in The Awl ten years ago, but it still relaxes and inspires me whenever I read it. I’m always skeptical at first — “This shit is so basic. Pink Floyd? Jesus Christ, have some self-respect!” — but by the end, I’m reminded of how I want to live every single day.

It helps to remember that life often…