Defining Happiness.

One of the many things that make me immensely happy is traveling. I love being on the road. I love the sound and feel of wind. I love to listen to my favorite songs and reminiscing good old days while I am on the road. I love eating fried fish and drinking tea in roadside cheap, local restaurants. The journey, the travel companions, the destination. I love every bit of it. Every day I wish I was travelling. I am most envious of people who travel a lot. On days when I am tired of my routine and the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu city, I remind myself of my travel plans. I have recently started my vacation savings fund too. One of the many plus sides of earning is to be able to travel every once in a while to your favorite destination, explore new places, be with your friends and family- away from the daily commitments. This I write as I am quite thrilled about my short holiday trip that starts tomorrow.  I am my happiest self when I am traveling.

So, I thought I would ask the kids what makes them the happiest. Just to see if we could make them their happiest as a treat for this New Year.

Needless to say, happiness is a very individual perception. I may try and define happiness as to have the freedom to do what we desire, to do what makes us happy without any fear of loss and repercussion. Happiness is to be able to live through the most difficult days and remain hopeful and positive the next morning.  Clichéd it may sound, what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. Good or bad, experience makes us wiser, stronger and happier. It is only in the darkest hours, times of distress that we value the littlest things in life.

“…we're not broken just bent.”

Children have a very simple notion of happiness. Anita is a 14 year old girl who is preparing to go back to school. For her, happiness is Birthday celebrations whether it is her own birthday or somebody else’s birthday. She loves the cake cutting ceremony and loves eating cakes more than anything else. For 12 year old Phoolmaya, living in one of the slums near Tilganga, happiness means Shivaratri for the grand gala it brings in her neighborhood. A month long fete near Pashupati Mandir is something she looks forward to every year.

Such effortless and easily attainable thing happiness is and yet we complicate it so much. Our children love to color and draw. Today, they spent hours coloring mermaids. They were happy. It is inspiring to see them enjoying little things and learning something new every day. Despite all odds, they are hopeful of a better tomorrow and never leave an opportunity to laugh and be happier. Their attitude towards life teaches us such an important lesson that happiness doesn't happen tomorrow. Happiness doesn't come attached to someone or something. Happiness simply means this moment and how we live this moment. 


On that happy note, I would like to wish everyone reading this blog a Very Happy New Year. And for more happiness, here's a link to a Facebook page that I simply love for it's happy posts: https://www.facebook.com/itsthehappypage?fref=ts

Know the children better: 
https://www.facebook.com/foodforeducation
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prayas/452602024774338
  

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