My Recipe For Happiness
In response to Dancing Elephants Press weekly prompt 25 of 52
Many things make me happy in my life, starting with my family and close friends and ending with a few simple things that bring me immense joy.
Two particular things make me happy the most.
Listening to music while going for an early morning nature walk and curl up on the sofa in my study with a hot cup of ginger tea and an exciting book.
Happiness is a state of mind, and therefore to experience happiness, it is essential to have a positive mindset. When I go for my morning walk, I put on music that helps me develop a positive outlook and boost my mood and energy.
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own action,”- Dalai Lama.
The definition of happiness can vary from one person to the next.
But one thing is sure, happiness is not measured by material things. Love, friendship, and freedom are more important when seeking happiness.
A story
I read an interesting story about a little boy, which shows why material things cannot measure true wealth and happiness. I am sure you will find this story interesting.
There was a boy who belonged to a very wealthy family. One day his father took him on a trip to the country to show him how poor people lived. They arrived at a farm of an impoverished farmer. The father and the son spent several days with the poor farmer family. On return, the father asked the son, did he like the trip.
“It was great, dad”, the boy replied. The father asked him if he had noticed how the poor people lived and what his impressions were from the trip.
“We have only one dog and they have four. In our garden, there is a pool, but they have a river that has no end. We’ve got expensive lanterns, but they have stars above their heads at night. We have the patio and they have the whole horizon. We have only a small piece of land while they have endless fields. We buy food but they grow it. We have a high fence for protection of our property but they don’t need it as their friends protect them.”
The father was stunned by this response and could not say a word.
Then the boy added, “thank you, dad, for letting me see how poor we are.”
The story shows how love, friendship, and freedom are more valuable.
The boy has cracked the code to happiness very early.
My ingredients for happiness
- Mental quietness, which I achieve during my early morning walk. I am not good at sitting and meditating. I am still learning but find it difficult to tame my wandering mind. For me, a walk in nature is meditation. It helps to clear my mind and makes me happy.
- Do things I feel good about. Reading books makes me happy. So I spend time reading.
- Spending time with family and friends. Some of my friends and I meet every evening to catch up and discuss how we spent the day. These real-life interactions help us connect better, and we support each other when required. We share and celebrate happiness.
“Happiness is a gift, and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes.”- Charles Dickens.
Thankyou Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Dr. Gabriella Korosi, Dr. Preeti Singh for such wonderful writing prompts that continue to inspire us to write.
Read DR Rawson - The Possibilist wonderful article,
Sanghita Pal amazing article,
