Happiness. What is that? The dictionary says contentment, pleasure, joy, glee and so on. Do you live the day happy? Or do you look forward to something in the close distance to be happy? A friend in one forum sent something on this recently and I quote some of it here:
We convince ourselves that life will be much better after we are married, have a baby and perhaps another, then we get frustrated that our baby or babies are not big enough, and that things will get better when they are older…..
Then we get frustrated because they grow into adolescence and we have to deal with them. Surely we will be happier when they grow out of their teen years…..
We tell ourselves that life will get better when our spouse get his/her act together, when we have a new car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire…….
The truth is…. there is no better time to be happier than right now. If not now then when? Your life will be full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and decide to be happy in spite of it all….
For the longest time, it seems that life is about to start, real life. But then there were obstacles along the way, hindrances, some time to be given, some work to be finished, a bill to be paid, then life would start. But I finally came to understand that those obstacles were life, real life……
That point of view helped me see that there are no roads to happiness. Happiness IS the road….
So, enjoy the moment. Stop waiting for that moment, for school to end, for school to begin, to gain ten pounds, to lose ten pounds, for work to start, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for that new car, for that new house, for mortgage(s) to be paid, for spring, for summer, for autumn, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn ……. Before deciding to be happy…..
Happiness is a voyage not the destination. There is no better time to be happy than now, so live the life, enjoy the moment ………
Can you answer these five questions without reference:
Name five richest men in the world,
Name last five Miss Universe
Name the last ten best actor awards recipients
Name ten Nobel Prize winners
Cannot answer them? Rather difficult are they not?
Applause dies away, trophies gather dust, awards are soon forgotten…….
Now, try answering these:
Name three teachers who contributed to your education
Name three friends who helped you in your hour of need
Name three people who make you feel special
Name five people you like to spend time with
More manageable? A lot easier are they not?
The people who mean something in your life are not rated “the best”, do not have the most money, and have not won the greatest prizes. They are the ones who care about you, take care of you, those who, no matter what, stay close by……
Think about it for a moment……. Life is very short
And you……. In which list are you in?
You are not amongst the most ‘famous’ but one who remembers me and read this…..
Some time ago, nine young athletes, all mentally or physically challenged, were standing on the start line for a 100 meter race.
The gun fired and the race began. Not everyone was running but everyone wanted to participate and win.
They ran in threes, one tripped and fell, did a few somersaults and started crying….. all the other participants slowed down, looked behind them. They stopped and came back…. all of them…..
A girl with Down’s syndrome sat down next to him, hugged him for a while and asked, “Feeling better now?” Then all of them walked shoulder to shoulder to the finish line……
The whole crowd stood up and applauded…. loudly. And the applause lasted a very long time……
…… hmmmmm a teardrop in the eye there now eh!!…..
People who witnessed this still talk about it. Why? Because deep down inside us, we all know that the most important thing in life is much more than winning for ourselves. The most important thing in life is to help others to win as well, even if that means slowing down or changing our race.
“A candle loses nothing if it is used to light another”
My simplistic view in life and happiness……… I wonder and I continue to ponder……
MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya
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1 comment:
Thank you, maddie, for dropping by and my condolence on your recent bereavement. I am sorry that you are finding difficulties coping with the loss but I think you are letting your emotions control your life. I know the feeling as I too lost my father when I was younger to a serious illness for quite a long time that ultimately made him bedridden. Take control of your emotions and take control of your life. Your late father would not have wanted you to continue bemoaning his passing away but would have wanted you to get over it and get on with your life. Life is a journey and happiness is also a journey. They are not the ultimate destination. You decide the journey you want to take.
As for doa's may I suggest that you do not miss any of your 5 daily prayers and try to do the night time 'tahhajjud' prayers and read the Quran, as often as you can. In your doa seek HIS guidance to ease your mind, and also for the benefit of your late father, as the doa of offsprings, I believe, goes directly to the deceased. Continued prayers and the Quran will, over time, help ease your pain, with the will of Allah. May Allah be pleased, Wallah hu Aklam.
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