A Paraphrase of Psalm 1

Do not pursue happiness;
it cannot be caught, like a cold or a bouncing ball.
It is not found in fads or trends;
nor will it reward you for meeting others' expectations.
Happiness comes from submerging yourself in God.
Do not struggle to keep you head above water,
but yield yourself to the deep flow of God's universe.
You will not drown.
You will be swept along by forces you cannot imagine.
Foam on the surface gets blown around;
driftwood piles up on sandbars;
people obsessed with themselves
end up as hollow husks on the rocks.
But the current rolls on.
So let yourself get carried away
by something that will last longer than a social eddy.