What makes you happy?

I stumbled upon an old post of mine which was written along similar lines. You can read it here. Happiness Is…

I was reading an article online and I stumbled upon this question. I assumed this question must have been for the ‘Happiness Is…’ series (of which I’m a big fan) and then I noticed that the author had asked people to list things that make them happy , without them being directly involved. I liked this train of thought. Personally, I’ve always associated happiness with things that make me feel good, or when I’m the recipient of some good deed. So it was interesting to think of situations which genuinely made me feel happy without being directly involved.

Here is what I thought of while I was riding back from work.

Happiness is … Seeing planes take off.

I’ve traveled enough by planes, yet I always get excited whenever I see a plane taking off. It’s amazing how something that was on the ground a few minutes back, just soars in the air and heads for the skies. I always relate to it fighting against all odds and moving on to pursue one’s dreams 🙂

Happiness is … Seeing dogs play with people.

I grew up listening to stories of my parents and the dogs that were in their respective homes. I’ve always wanted to adopt a dog, I’m still trying to work a way out. So, whenever I see pet dogs playing with its masters, I feel so happy. It’s nice to know that there will always be someone who would love you much more than you love them and treat you with the same amount of love and affection, every single time. Next to moms, I see only dogs are capable of this feat.

Happiness is … Seeing children smile.

From their toothless grins, to the wonderful smiles showing their broken teeth I love to see kids smile. They are probably the only ones who smile innocently from the heart without pretending or bothering to judge others. Even the simplest of things make them happy and they are generous with their smile. Something that adults can learn from children.

Happiness is … Seeing food placed perfectly.

That perfect round chapatti, that perfect frosting for cupcakes and that perfectly symmetrical arrangement of sweets or snacks, seeing all that makes me really happy. I’m not a perfectionist nor do I take special care to ensure that food should stay in a particular shape, but when it happens without your efforts and you see them on display, even if I had nothing to do with the preparation, that makes me happy.

Happiness is … Seeing Old Couples.

There is nothing that can match the happiness I feel when I see old couples walking hand in hand or just sitting in the park and sharing a joke. When I look at those blessed people, I tell myself this is the kind of life I want. I want to live life fully and then a few decades later, I want to take time to enjoy the simplest pleasures in life, with a loved one.  That’s the dream and one day, that would be the goal.

As I write this down, I’m still thinking of many more such things which make me happy. I don’t think I’m going to stop. I’ll probably come up with a sequel to this post. Until then, would you like to share what happiness is for you, in this context?

I’d love to hear what happiness means to you 🙂