Some one asked me to define happiness the other day. It did not take me much time to come up with an answer. To be honest, it was a spontaneous reply. Elusive – my answer. When I got the chance to think about it later, I found that a little strange about myself. Happiness meant something else to me in the past. I can’t exactly recollect what, but elusive – not that.
I tried to think of the times when I was 3 feet tall. I tried recollecting what made me happy back then. Simple things in life. A chocolate. A cake. Mangoes. Playing with friends. Ice creams. Watching Tom and Jerry. Listening to dad telling me stories before I fell asleep. Getting wet in the rain. Getting a 100 in a Math paper. Summer holidays. Fighting with my brother. Trying to play cricket and failing miserably. Getting my first pet home. Sit beside ma while she prepared dinner and bug her with all that went on in school everyday. Waiting for diwali sweets. Laughing for hours together with friends. Learning to ride a cycle. Understanding the meaning of a difficult word when some one else used it. Reading Enid Blyton’s books. Just mundane stuff.
It struck me that it did not take much to make me feel absolutely fantastic about life and myself back then. Somewhere along the line, while growing up, I forgot to celebrate small achievements and enjoy little moments of joy. I started to associate happiness with big goals and larger dreams. Small moments of rejoicing just went by –unnoticed - ignored. The standards of happiness increased – subtly – exponentially.
Happiness, at some point of our lives, seems elusive. I think that’s because we forget to celebrate what’s with us and run after what we think should belong to us. A wise man once said – Happiness is not about what you have – it’s about how much you enjoy what you have. It’s easier said than done I guess.
Well, the definition of happiness and things that make me happy will keep changing. But, I will remind myself to smile just a little bit more the next time I eat an ice cream. I owe it to that 3 feet tall girl.
6 comments:
Hats off Dolls...!!Good that I am the first one to comment on this... It just reminded me of my childhood days when we were so innocent and found joy in all small things we did...I can imagine how that 3 feet girl might have felt..:-) Good work and get going dear... :-)
who're u kidding...u're still 3 feet tall ;)
give me a min and ill comment again :) just wanted to say that as quickly as possible hehe
how can a person define happiness....if I were to write a dictionary, i'd conveniently leave out the word...uhm...but if I were to do that the word would not exist, and life ain't worth living without happiness....so i'd prbbly leave it in with a lame definition or a ref. author for more details written....@dolls...expecting a "yappa" at this point in time :D
you're right dude...we tend to concentrate on far bigger things as we grow and forget the small things in life....reading this kinda reminded me of an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond in which Raymond envies his daughter who smiles all the way just having a candy....Raymond goes on cribbing sayin the kid just needs a candy to get her smiling and if he were to have one...it would be "candy aaah sweet candy...sweets...teeth...cavity...ooh cavity...dentist...bills...money :("
Guess we just need to get out and be that little gal for a while....(a little boy in my case...yes yes..i know u had those weird thoughts coming in)
well truely said.. we forget the little joys that come our way... thinking that the big joys will come later in the life... but reality is different ...we will still wait for that big joy and keep these little joys away from life... we keep on forgetting the saying oceans are made of large no of small drops... like tht big joys are made from large no small joys....
The happiness does not Change with time but our priorities change even an ice cream will give the same happiness to this 5.6ft tall girl had she doesn't need to think about her weight before eating it, and she is ready to give up that happiness. But doll still you are as sweet as you were when you were three ft, tall and you give me the same happiness , whether you are 1 ft. tall or three ft. tall or 5.6ft. tall wishing you all the happiness in the world keep smiling
@Sabeela: Thanx Shabbo! U rock idiot! :)
@Shanim: Yappa!!!! :)
@Chandy: Dude..glad that my words got u thinking :)
@Ma: Whoa ma! U commented on mah blog! :O :O Touched, blessed n honoured ma :)
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