Happiness- Then and Now

I was going through some articles written by me a couple of years back. I was pleasantly surprised to read an article I wrote on a topic which is very close to my heart: happiness. I am sharing an excerpt from that article. 

"It always amuses me how people spend so much time and money on finding happiness. Some say happiness lies in giving; some others say it is all about pampering yourself. Happiness isn't elusive. You can find it in a cup of coffee, a bar of chocolate, in the arms of your lover, in the company of your friends, over a conversation with somebody, and even in solitude. All you have to do is find what makes you happy. And then life becomes beautiful."

This definition still holds true for me. If I had to make an alteration, I'd replace the last sentence with this one: All you have to do is choose to be happy- in all situations and circumstances. Happiness is nothing but a choice. 

Your Attitude in Life

Seek pleasure out of every little experience in life,
Breathe in joy. Breathe out joy.
And life will give you just that.
Pleasure. Joy. Peace. 

Find faults in every little thing in the world,
Complain till your heart's content. 
And your world would seem to you
As nothing, but a fault.

As Long As...

As long as You have You
There's no reason to feel blue

As long as You have You
There's someone who sees your point of view

As long as You have You

There's always someone to hold on to

As long as You have You

All your dreams can come true

A Christmas Wish

For many of us, Christmas will be spent having a good time with people we value and love. Many of us will indulge, sing and dance, and make merry. On the other side, a lot of people will spend this day feeling unhappy and miserable- for the lack of resources to buy their kids the gifts they so badly wished for, for not being able to see their family members at all, for being all alone on Christmas; for having no one to celebrate the day with. So while we should not forget to wish everyone we meet Merry Christmas, we should also not forget to pray for everybody's happiness this Christmas.

Om Sarvamangalam

Four Months. Four Lessons.

A thousand miles away from my home town, I stand here, in the heart of Bangalore, looking outside the window of my shared apartment, reminiscing about my new life. It's hard to believe that I have completed four fabulous months in the garden city of India. So, in this blog post, I'd be sharing four life lessons that living away from home has taught me in these four months.

1) It's okay- best, in fact- to be just the way you are.

2) No matter how busy you get, finding time for your loved ones back home is an absolute must.

3) You can't choose your classmates or co-workers, but you can choose your attitude in the classroom or the cubicle.

4) Everybody is fighting a battle they don't want to lose. Sometimes they may behave badly. But that doesn't mean they are bad.

The Happy Poem

You are wiser than you think you are And there is no reason for you to ever believe That serenity and peace is a dream too far

For, peace of mind is a thing you need Same for joy, and grace indeed And let us not forget, the power of love The green of a leaf and the white of a dove And the magic of being the way you want to be This world, my child, has many great sights to see So put on your shoes and trek around I wish you thrill and kicks abound Love your life, love the way it goes And keep on grasping the many lessons it shows Find your bliss in the warmth of your kin But be sure and strong, develop a hard skin And don't ever lose the wonder in your eyes The red of the sun and the blue of the skies Ride on your faith, give it a fair chance As the famous song goes, I hope you dance

The Journey of Life

Let not the journey of others Be the road map for you to follow Let your journey be a journey of love, Of discovery and explorations Not of material things, so shallow

Be grateful for what you receive And stay happy, meditative and kind And if ever you get befuddled and sad I hope you'd be able to calm yourself down By exercising your mindful mind

For, towards the end of your life, you'd realise That it doesn't matter how much you earned, But who you met and the lives you touched And the days and the nights that were spent in joy, In love and in peace; and the lessons you learned

On Friendship

Friendship is not about having a group of people to sing songs on your birthday or graduation parties, and clicking photos to be uploaded later on facebook. It is not about one friendship day a year; it's not about sending friendship day wishes to everyone in your contact list, including those you would otherwise ignore. Friendship is not about hanging out with your colleagues post-work. 

Friendship is about having some very special people in your lives who listen to understand, don't judge your thoughts, actions and beliefs, always wish well for you, care immensely, stand by you through thick and thin, and correct you when you are treading towards the wrong path. Friendship is about being curious and concerned. It's about undivided attention. It's about unconditional love. 

A Funny Take on Life

Didn't you know
Life's not fair?
Did you ever
go missing in the fair?
Would you say
They don't really care?
In that classic race,
Are you the hare?

Do you feel you talk more
Than your friends ever share?
Have you still not found
Your ideal pair?
Do you often find yourself
Giving them a cold stare?

Tell you what, 
You just need some fresh air
Or maybe grow back your hair
Or, if you are wild, have an affair!
This life's like one big bubble,
Before it bursts, go out there
And dare!

The Writer- II

Sometimes, he writes without a purpose
No plans in his head
No stories to be told
And yet he can feel it in his chest
The "urge"
To scribble it all away,
Whatever's there on his mind

Sometimes, he is confused
He doesn't know what to write
And when to write it
And why should it matter
For them to read what he's written

Sometimes, he struggles,
Struggles to resist
The urge to say it all
Struggles to take the risk
Of penning down
What must be shared


*Also read: The Writer