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tures, big and small. It’s very important to have human friends, but it’s also important to appreciate other forms of life. They all have souls and their own beauty. (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="d97f"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*YhzFcLLrtoMz0SMlN6fd5w.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to see the approaching storm and, instead of panicking, assess the danger, and, if safe so, continue with our tasks and chores. Despite the storm, I had to fix the fence, and I was happy when I completed the task. (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><p id="324b">Happiness is to have great relationships with our neighbours, and help and support each other.</p><figure id="6750"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*7LONHOuo5XpsDDkTiqPr_g.jpeg"><figcaption>Me playing with my neighbour dogs. I was looking after them while my neighbours went on holiday. I had a great time! (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="d213"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*_NXwMho75eAL0MB6-lYOUw.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to be in a place we dislike and still see its beauty and be grateful. I don’t like cities, but I’m grateful for my job and I have to say, the city looks quite pretty at nighttime. (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="c069"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*q7rQjNGrQXkDuZYtCZ49hg.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to carry out our chores with a smile, to stop then and again, look at how far we have come and celebrate our successes, regardless of how big or small they are. And if you have a helper like I have (Daisy) then nothing can go wrong : ) (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><p id="c5fd">I love to travel; they also make me happy. When I travel, I usually go to the more remote areas, where people do not have much material wealth but are more authentic and have very rich lives. My greatest time was with people who had nothing but were willing to share the bit they had. We shared some simple meals together, like pizza or pasta, and had the most fantastic time.</p><p id="7d78">(Just a note: tourists often say that people in remote areas are rough and impolite; well, they are very direct, that’s true, but if you understand them and their life full of hardships, then you know how loving they are. They just don’t like arrogant tourists)</p><figure id="a88a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*wmGUEOysYnFdwv5GAHXe1Q.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to watch the sun rising from behind the hills and above the fog in the valley, and feeling a gratitude for all the simple things in life — our health, our home, our family (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="cb94"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*xLbniPU5VRyP5h8RaRPhEQ.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to walk on a beach, feel the sand between our toes, the gently breeze caressing our skin, and smell the salty air entering our nostrils. (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="4ef9"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*b6swcqTAJ7pEvqBEwZ2NPA.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to stop on our way to work, just for a few little moments, and appreciate the surrounding. (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="242b"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*n0HmYjHaQ7Jervex5Q8Xsw.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to watch the sun setting down after hours of mowing and smell the fragrance of fresh cut grass (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="595a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*l8qbac-APZtVsampZZo81Q.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to… get caught in a heavy rain while perfectly dress for a business meeting, and simply laugh it off. Yep, it had happened to me, and believe me, the world didn’t end, life goes on and everything is all right. (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="c1e6"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*D1Ek2syWkn1j4p3INstpRQ.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to hike through the mountains and appreciate the beauty of our planet. (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="7ed4"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*YD3YvrdXOLx3yD_4R1u8jA.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to see the dam being full again, after years of drought. To watch the cattle drink peacefully and the dog finding a relief from the heat while swimming in the cool waters (Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><figure id="0ab4"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*sT6LqA1IfVCfaO9nY_AKaA.jpeg"><figcaption>Happiness is to go for an evening walk, while talking to my parents, sharing the moment with them through photos, and talking about anything and everything. I’m so very lucky to have parents who after half a century of being together are still in love with each other. And they love me!(Photo by Author)</figcaption></figure><p id="5ee0">For me, happiness is a mindset. I believe that happiness is our choice and depends on what we want to see in life. Do we want to appreciate and be grateful for what we have, or do we prefer to worry about what we lack? Do we want to be happy or not?</p><p id="c076">I also believe that happiness is directly proportional to resilience; the more resilient we are, the happier we become. Resilience is understanding that not every day is great, but there is something great about every day; there is always something to be grateful for. It’s the faith that the sun will shine again after even the heaviest storm; we just need to survive the storm.</p><p id="ecd6">Happiness is accepting our situation as is, being grateful and appreciating what we have while trying to improve our lives and making the best out of what we have. It’s taking responsibility for our fate instead of blaming others and falling into despair. Ultimately, life isn’t about what happens to us but how we react to whatever happens to us.</p><p id="cf15">If we pursue happiness and believe that “when I have this or that, then I’ll be happy,” then we will never be happy. Soon after we get what we want, we realise we need something else to be happy. If

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we can’t be happy with what we have, then we will never be happy.</p><p id="21b0">This post was in response the weekly prompt by <a href="undefined">Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles</a></p><div id="9e18" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/what-does-happiness-mean-to-you-895d6101dd91"> <div> <div> <h2>What Does Happiness Mean To You?</h2> <div><h3>Dancing Elephants Press weekly prompt 25 of 52</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*ZUJANk2z2gh6dN7f)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="703d">So many wonderful articles were submitted for this prompt. I tried to chose just a couple but it was too difficult, so here are a few great stories about happiness, mostly from our wonderful publication DEP, but not only.</p><p id="bb0f">I always enjoy articles by <a href="undefined">Joyce Nielsen</a> — I could relate to probably every sentence she mentioned in relation to happines</p><div id="cfaa" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/happiness-you-take-my-breath-away-sometimes-ad70d1baf5b9"> <div> <div> <h2>Happiness, You Take My Breath Away Sometimes</h2> <div><h3>In response to Dancing Elephant’s Prompt 25 of 52</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*zYPM0pxAjBuGAnyyM0oKVw.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="0b5b">Despite (or maybe thanks to) all the difficulties I went through, I deeply believe that everything in life happens for a reason. I could very well relate to the article by <a href="undefined">Garima Sharma</a> and I think it is worth sharing with wider audience</p><div id="03c4" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/there-is-a-reason-for-your-suffering-cd7d20f608cc"> <div> <div> <h2>There Is A Reason For Your Suffering</h2> <div><h3>Our trials and tribulations have allowed us to mature emotionally.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*9d21Xg1Vd-uuibHs)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="afaa"><a href="undefined">Tamil</a> also shares a beautiful description of happiness in her post</p><div id="8c0d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/what-happiness-means-to-me-921df732f01c"> <div> <div> <h2>What Happiness Means to Me</h2> <div><h3>In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 25 of 52</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Bh1eLBVdWyvr16Ghn1p4AA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="9f13">Also <a href="undefined">DR Rawson - The Possibilist</a> has a perfect answer on how to be happy</p><div id="1a2b" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/are-you-happy-13c957e8d4f4"> <div> <div> <h2>Are you happy?</h2> <div><h3>In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 25 of 52</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*Y5WRmjcwel9IMsCh)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="1803"><a href="">Akemi Sagawa </a>in her article reminds us that happiness isn’t a goal but foundation of life</p><div id="7803" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/start-a-day-with-happiness-aea0e3fc4988"> <div> <div> <h2>Start A Day with Happiness</h2> <div><h3>In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 25 of 52</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*GIyVVIRcoWAWvB76.jpg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="28f7">And <a href="undefined">Hermione Wilds Writes</a> mentions how being with other people makes her happy</p><div id="f8bd" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/my-happy-people-4440bf107bd3"> <div> <div> <h2>My Happy — People</h2> <div><h3>In response to Dancing Elephants Press Prompt 25 of 52</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*GO6VbvgLqf0cZH5fxIQEKA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="49ac"><a href="undefined">Camilla Seth</a> wrote a great article about happiness from a point of view of a dog — I loved it and I hope you will enjoy it too. I hundred percent agree with Bubbie!</p><div id="59ce" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/5-reasons-why-humans-arent-happy-40ba881295e0"> <div> <div> <h2>5 Reasons Why Humans Aren’t Happy</h2> <div><h3>If you do like me, you’ll end up happy</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*WkucJuLNoQxAt5Kjjv-aJw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="9ba4">We all see happiness differently and it adds to its beauty!</p></article></body>

Happiness Is To Be Grateful And Appreciate The Moment

In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 25 of 52

Happiness is seeing beauty in everything that surrounds us and understanding that even the worst times will have an end and the sun will shine again. (Photo by Author)

I was having breakfast with George, and we talked about caravanning and motor homes. Somehow the topic of happiness came to light. Before I could say anything, George interrupted me: “Happiness is to have a lot of money. That’s it. If you don’t have money, you will never be happy.”

I didn’t say anything; I knew George would never understand. I just thought to myself: “If money is all we need to be happy, then why do so many rich and famous have alcohol-, drug- or other addiction problems? Why are there rich committing suicide? Out of joy and happiness? I doubt that… Why are there lottery winners saying that the winning ruined their life?”

As I understand we need money to pay our bills and survive, I sincerely doubt that money is the answer to happiness.

Happiness is understanding that even in our darkest moments, when everything appears to be gloom and doom, somewhere deep in all the darkness, there is a tiny twinkle of beauty, a ray of hope, giving us strength to go on. Like the rays of the full moon shining through the fog in the photo above (Photo by Author)

I grew up in a communist country with martial law. We didn’t have much money, and anyway, money was useless as there was nothing in the shops. We didn’t have any material wealth. We lived in my grandpa’s house, together with my grandparents and my dad’s sister and her family. Yet I had the most wonderful childhood a kid could ever wish for.

What I remember the most from my early years is the joy and happiness of people. Everyone was happy because of… nothing. People were excited because they managed to get a piece of butter, some meat or a bit more sugar for the month. The days were filled with hardship and fighting to survive, but people supported each other, and they were happy.

Happiness is to have a heart filled with gratitude and keep our sense of entitlement at bay. (Photo by Author)

For us, West Germany was the absolute paradise on Earth. Everyone dreamed of emigrating and living in that country. And at the age of 23, I was very lucky to move to the fairyland. It was when I experienced a shock. Most people were grumpy and unhappy. How come? They live in heaven and are unhappy?

It took me some time to realize that, yes, they had plenty of material wealth, but they lacked gratitude, and their sense of entitlement was up to the moon! And this was the main reason for their unhappiness.

Happiness is to understand that there is no rainbow without rain. Overcoming adversities leads to the feeling of fulfilment and happiness (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to face all the adversities in our lives instead of hiding or running away from them. Running away from our problems won’t help us; but resolving them will bring happiness (Photo by Author)

Here is something from my diary which I wrote more than 15 years ago. When Andy left me, and I found myself homeless in a foreign country, without money, family or friends, I struggled to cope. I mean, the worst was the mental impact. A few months after he left me, when I managed to somehow stand on my two feet, I bought a motorbike and started riding a lot. I was actually running away from myself. And here is what I wrote about happiness:

I always say, “Riding a motorbike makes me feel happy; I like travelling and seeing new places”. Yes, it is true, I like travelling, but currently, I am not doing it only because I love it, but because I want to forget my situation. I want to forget the pain. I want to go away from the emptiness in my life, go away from my own feelings. I am running away from myself. It is not travelling and having fun any more, it is like an addiction. I am cheating myself. […]

I have to learn to live my own life. I can’t be dependent on others. My happiness can’t depend on others. It is difficult because I want to share my life with someone, and I believe it is a natural desire of every human being. It is difficult to live alone.

But, if I don’t want to waste my life, if I don’t want to lose myself, then I have to learn to live my own life, and be happy on my own. Even if I want to be back with him [Andy] and have my “earlier life” back (and I hope that it is possible) I can only have it if I accept my life today as it is. I have to gain control over my emotions and stop thinking as negatively as I am right now. […]

As long as I will not be happy in my own company, as long as the happiness isn’t living inside of me, I simply won’t be happy. I will be unhappy — regardless if I am with him or not.”

Andy and I have never got back together, and I’m grateful for that. If we got together, I would never meet John, and I would never experience what romantic love actually feels like. It took me years to comprehend how abusive Andy was… Some disasters are just blessings in disguise…

Happiness is making friends with all creatures, big and small. It’s very important to have human friends, but it’s also important to appreciate other forms of life. They all have souls and their own beauty. (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to see the approaching storm and, instead of panicking, assess the danger, and, if safe so, continue with our tasks and chores. Despite the storm, I had to fix the fence, and I was happy when I completed the task. (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to have great relationships with our neighbours, and help and support each other.

Me playing with my neighbour dogs. I was looking after them while my neighbours went on holiday. I had a great time! (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to be in a place we dislike and still see its beauty and be grateful. I don’t like cities, but I’m grateful for my job and I have to say, the city looks quite pretty at nighttime. (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to carry out our chores with a smile, to stop then and again, look at how far we have come and celebrate our successes, regardless of how big or small they are. And if you have a helper like I have (Daisy) then nothing can go wrong : ) (Photo by Author)

I love to travel; they also make me happy. When I travel, I usually go to the more remote areas, where people do not have much material wealth but are more authentic and have very rich lives. My greatest time was with people who had nothing but were willing to share the bit they had. We shared some simple meals together, like pizza or pasta, and had the most fantastic time.

(Just a note: tourists often say that people in remote areas are rough and impolite; well, they are very direct, that’s true, but if you understand them and their life full of hardships, then you know how loving they are. They just don’t like arrogant tourists)

Happiness is to watch the sun rising from behind the hills and above the fog in the valley, and feeling a gratitude for all the simple things in life — our health, our home, our family (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to walk on a beach, feel the sand between our toes, the gently breeze caressing our skin, and smell the salty air entering our nostrils. (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to stop on our way to work, just for a few little moments, and appreciate the surrounding. (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to watch the sun setting down after hours of mowing and smell the fragrance of fresh cut grass (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to… get caught in a heavy rain while perfectly dress for a business meeting, and simply laugh it off. Yep, it had happened to me, and believe me, the world didn’t end, life goes on and everything is all right. (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to hike through the mountains and appreciate the beauty of our planet. (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to see the dam being full again, after years of drought. To watch the cattle drink peacefully and the dog finding a relief from the heat while swimming in the cool waters (Photo by Author)

Happiness is to go for an evening walk, while talking to my parents, sharing the moment with them through photos, and talking about anything and everything. I’m so very lucky to have parents who after half a century of being together are still in love with each other. And they love me!(Photo by Author)

For me, happiness is a mindset. I believe that happiness is our choice and depends on what we want to see in life. Do we want to appreciate and be grateful for what we have, or do we prefer to worry about what we lack? Do we want to be happy or not?

I also believe that happiness is directly proportional to resilience; the more resilient we are, the happier we become. Resilience is understanding that not every day is great, but there is something great about every day; there is always something to be grateful for. It’s the faith that the sun will shine again after even the heaviest storm; we just need to survive the storm.

Happiness is accepting our situation as is, being grateful and appreciating what we have while trying to improve our lives and making the best out of what we have. It’s taking responsibility for our fate instead of blaming others and falling into despair. Ultimately, life isn’t about what happens to us but how we react to whatever happens to us.

If we pursue happiness and believe that “when I have this or that, then I’ll be happy,” then we will never be happy. Soon after we get what we want, we realise we need something else to be happy. If we can’t be happy with what we have, then we will never be happy.

This post was in response the weekly prompt by Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles

What Does Happiness Mean To You?

Dancing Elephants Press weekly prompt 25 of 52

medium.com

So many wonderful articles were submitted for this prompt. I tried to chose just a couple but it was too difficult, so here are a few great stories about happiness, mostly from our wonderful publication DEP, but not only.

I always enjoy articles by Joyce Nielsen — I could relate to probably every sentence she mentioned in relation to happines

Happiness, You Take My Breath Away Sometimes

In response to Dancing Elephant’s Prompt 25 of 52

medium.com

Despite (or maybe thanks to) all the difficulties I went through, I deeply believe that everything in life happens for a reason. I could very well relate to the article by Garima Sharma and I think it is worth sharing with wider audience

There Is A Reason For Your Suffering

Our trials and tribulations have allowed us to mature emotionally.

medium.com

Tamil also shares a beautiful description of happiness in her post

What Happiness Means to Me

In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 25 of 52

medium.com

Also DR Rawson - The Possibilist has a perfect answer on how to be happy

Are you happy?

In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 25 of 52

medium.com

Akemi Sagawa in her article reminds us that happiness isn’t a goal but foundation of life

Start A Day with Happiness

In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 25 of 52

medium.com

And Hermione Wilds Writes mentions how being with other people makes her happy

My Happy — People

In response to Dancing Elephants Press Prompt 25 of 52

medium.com

Camilla Seth wrote a great article about happiness from a point of view of a dog — I loved it and I hope you will enjoy it too. I hundred percent agree with Bubbie!

5 Reasons Why Humans Aren’t Happy

If you do like me, you’ll end up happy

medium.com

We all see happiness differently and it adds to its beauty!