A person can recognize a peak moment of happiness while it is happening

Evidence

Now, now, I said—despite the steroids, the sickness, the embarrassing hairdo, despite the job search, the uncertainty, the displacement, now despite everything, despite the fact that I am thirty-four and just beginning, this is the happiest day of my life. — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 269

Categorization

• SEED: Demonstrates the essayistic ‘skewering down’ of a moment - anaphora of ‘despite’ building to the confession of happiness. A model for memoir climax.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 269
• XREF: connects to: Pinpointing the exact moment of happiness allows a writer to capture its full weight — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 270; Being in the moment is a component of mindfulness. — Dan Harris, 10 percent Happier, 1158; Anticipatory travel moments produce distinctive joy distinct from daily life — Karl Ove Knausgaard, A Death in the Family, 1274 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Being in the moment is a component of mindfulness. #expands (0.70) — Dan Harris, 10 percent Happier, 1158