Defining my happiness!

The enormity of the task has been making me put it off for a bit. I have been wandering around, looking for  inspiration to trigger the flow. Finally I found it. Watching a bunch of 6 year-old kids playing soccer in the rain. It, truly, is about the basics.

Happiness means many things to me.

Happiness is being carefree here and now, in the present moment. To think or worry about absolutely nothing and truly enjoy just being. Not processing the - what, how, who, oh god!, why not, I wish, maybe, hopefully... I'm working very hard on sending the monkey on vacation.
I read somewhere 'Paradise cannot be a moving target'. It can't be in the future - I will be happy when I  go for a vacation , when I get more money, when I'm thinner,when I quit my job. Happiness is to experience & enjoy the truth of the moment and the effort behind it. 

Happiness is being aware of and enjoying the small things in life, like nature. Noticing trees with freshly washed leaves, these days, triggers a sense of joy in me. I really look forward to driving on the road outside Talkotra Stadium with the aging trees forming a overhead green roof. I took nature for granted for so long, having grown up in a hill station/cantonments.Coming to arid Gurgaon has really made me value & admire it. I read about a very interesting concept - Biophilia. But I will save it for a later detailed post.

Breaking the cycle of relativity is happiness.This is a big one and I struggle with it the most!

Not falling in the trap of instant gratification is happiness. Every time I forgo swiping my credit card for frivolous branded crap I can easily do without, I feel a sense of achievement. The concept is called 'hedonic adaptation' and I'm going to write about it next.

The sense of security which my friends & family create for me is happiness. Every time AM smiles at me when he wakes up in the morning, every time mom/dad worry about me traveling alone late night, every time G, CM, V,& T make the long pilgrimage to the outskirts of NCR to just meet me, every time my sis calls me to tell me inane nonsense, I feel lucky that I'm special to so many people.It's a happy feeling to be loved!

To travel and experience new cultures and food is happiness!

Being active and busy creates a sense of purpose for me. Enjoying the small victories along the way is happiness. I'm experimenting with so many new things these days and taking small risks, for example this blog! It gives me a lot of joy to be learning and nourishing myself constructively.

Simply put, how I see it now is: Happiness is a 24/7 internal mellow sense of  life is good, I'm loved & special and everything will always be alright, whatever be the external circumstances.