The happiness in others uplifts me.

It's easiest when your own week is going well. When a friend rings with good news in a month where nothing has landed for you, the lift takes a moment longer to arrive.

That gap is ordinary and it isn't a character flaw.

What's worth knowing is that the lift usually does arrive if you stay on the phone — somewhere around the point where they start describing the detail they're most pleased about.

Gladness for other people works more like a muscle than a trait. It strengthens with use, and it's strongest in the specifics.