Are you happy?

When you’re young, everything is much simpler. You know how to star gaze, and talk with stars and the moon; how to run down the sloppy part of the road with your arms wide, and pretend you’re superman; how to chase fireflies and butterflies, and smile at the little things, how to enjoy life and how to be happy.

When I was a kid, I’d talk with the sun, moon, stars, sky; the universe. I’d kiss plants from my mum’s garden and tell them, I love you; I’d tell the sky, you look beautiful today; and have a good day, to the sun; I’d gaze up the sky at night and wish I would grow up soon so that I could see the sky from different parts of the world.
Are you happy? I ask myself more often nowadays, and most of the times I don’t know, if I’m happy.
We wish and expect so much, that we forget, how to appreciate. We are much happier when we’re young, because we know how to appreciate little things around us. We know how to appreciate our parents, our family; to appreciate our friends, the nature; we know how to appreciate life.

How to be happy? Appreciate. Look in the mirror, and smile at yourself. Tell yourself that you are beautiful and strong. You are worthy of so much love and respect. The world starts with you. Appreciate yourself first. Hug your mother, tell someone you love them, and help a stranger; do something, to appreciate life.

Life is full of struggles. It’s tough, right? You hope for some miracle, but you don’t believe in them. You want to be successful but you don’t want to work hard. You want to be happy but you don’t know how. Be kind, be hopeful, but don’t wait for miracles; make them. If you get your miracle, be the miracle for someone else. Compliment someone. Make someone laugh. After all, it is these little things that make life. If right now you’re struggling through something, know that, this too shall pass soon. There’s so much more to life. You only live once. Live with love and laughter.

Who do I want to be? I want to be a person that makes the younger me, happy, and proud. I want to do little in my part to appreciate people, and life, and be happy.

Writer: Surakshya Pradhan