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 🙂
October 26, 2015 at 9:01 pm
Happiness is bright sunshine in the morning. (May not be applicable to India).
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October 27, 2015 at 2:01 am
Happiness is….living in hometown.
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October 28, 2015 at 6:21 am
Happiness is an illusion. Maya. And so is everything else 😛
Destination Infinity
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October 28, 2015 at 6:49 am
Brightly lit rooms, long drives and catching up with friends. 🙂
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October 28, 2015 at 1:08 pm
I am a very fussy person .. so happiness has a lot of things .. 🙂 I get happy at everything I know I know I am contradicting myself saying fussy and yet getting happy at almost everything..
a phone call from a friend, or a message .. sun rising … waves on a beach.. the cool air breeze … Seeing othr people SMILE…
Bikram's
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October 28, 2015 at 5:48 pm
Yea, the early morning sunshine is definitely something worthy of a mention 🙂
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October 28, 2015 at 5:51 pm
Now that I personally know many people who are staying in a different place, I can feel the amount of happiness they feel when they get back here. Good one 🙂
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October 28, 2015 at 6:01 pm
Hahaha. Good one 🙂 Ellam Maya 😀
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October 28, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Brightly lit rooms, yes that is something that would make me happy too 🙂 As someone who prefers the natural light any time they are available, that would make me happy 🙂
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October 28, 2015 at 6:08 pm
Waves on a beach, of course 🙂 I feel very calm when I go to the beach and stare at the waves, it sorts of rejuvenates me 🙂
And if you are the reason behind someone smiling, wow, that is priceless 🙂
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October 28, 2015 at 6:30 pm
So hard to define…needs some thinking….
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October 29, 2015 at 2:24 am
Such an easy question but difficult to answer.There are so many things….
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October 29, 2015 at 3:33 am
Simple things make me happy. Even a cup of warm ginger tea 🙂
nice happy post!
Hope you enjoy reading A Rat's Nibble : Calvin and Me
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October 29, 2015 at 5:19 am
The smallest things in life bring the utmost happiness, like eating a simple meal, watching people in a busy mall, sunrise and sunset, twinkling stars, running streams… just so many:)
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October 29, 2015 at 2:14 pm
When I started reading, I thought you would say – Happiness is baking, as you do that a lot.
For me ultimate happiness is being busy. Music, cooking, writing, perfumes are few things that make me happy.
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October 29, 2015 at 4:16 pm
There is no one thing…so many indeed including big and small things. 🙂
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October 30, 2015 at 5:19 am
Very interesting post here.
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October 30, 2015 at 6:28 am
ah.. i am compiling the list in my head, and it's never going to get finished.
There are just so many, many things..
Interesting post Ash… 🙂
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October 31, 2015 at 11:20 am
Interesting thought. For me, one from my recent vacation – Happiness is seeing take-offs and landings of planes.
There are many others as well, which i need to think of 🙂
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November 1, 2015 at 5:21 pm
It took some time for me too. Keep thinking 🙂
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November 1, 2015 at 5:23 pm
So many things Indu. But when we think of it, the trick is to find something that doesnt involve us 🙂
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November 1, 2015 at 5:23 pm
Thank you 🙂
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November 1, 2015 at 5:24 pm
I love watching people. I'd wonder how different or how similar our lives would be and the paths that each of us step into 🙂
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November 1, 2015 at 5:25 pm
Of course that makes me happy, but I was trying to think of something that doesnt involve me directly 🙂
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November 1, 2015 at 5:26 pm
And of course, it's the small things that matter the most 🙂
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November 1, 2015 at 5:26 pm
Thank you!
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November 1, 2015 at 5:27 pm
Thank you Monica 🙂 I know right, there are just too many things going on 🙂
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November 1, 2015 at 5:27 pm
Wow, you too? There is something magical about that right, I can't seem to express it, but yea there is something 🙂
And keep thinking 🙂
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November 3, 2015 at 1:12 am
..spending time with my family; seeing a lovely pile of books; knowing I can relax after a long day….so many small things!
Nice list, Ashwini!
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November 4, 2015 at 5:59 am
Happiness is being with my family, spending time with Coco, cooking, watching the rain lash outside, see giggling children.. On and on the list goes. 🙂
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November 5, 2015 at 5:15 pm
Thank you Roshini 🙂 And yea the very thought that you know you can relax is heartening 🙂
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November 5, 2015 at 5:16 pm
Such a happy happy list 🙂
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November 12, 2015 at 2:12 pm
Among other things, posts written with thought and which make one think, make me happy. 🙂
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November 12, 2015 at 2:52 pm
Thank you 🙂 Glad it made you happy 🙂
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November 18, 2015 at 2:54 pm
Happiness to me is, having no routine. Lovely post to come back to after a long time, Ash.
Best,
Susan Deborah
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