The Definition of Happiness

By Shrishti Negi

When I was younger,

I thought happiness was a destination.

So, I tried to find my way towards it,

Not knowing the where and the when.

With no idea where it was,

Or when it would arrive,

I came across happiness.

It was not a destination,

But a person,

Whose very name meant happiness.

A gift from God –

A gift I’d never understand.

He sucked the life out of me.

He pushed down the flip side of happiness.

If it was God sent,

What a cruel joke it was upon an innocent girl

Wishing for nothing but happiness,

Hoping for nothing but an end to her misery.

So she learnt to be careful

For what she wished for,

For if there is a higher being above,

It is no benevolent being.

The universe had forged a spectacle

By granting the most innocent wish most wickedly.

How could she trust?

But a hopeless romantic like her

Kept looking

Hoping

She would find her happiness

Not knowing

Happiness isn’t a place

Or a person

But those little acts of kindness

From unexpected sources,

Those little moments of joy

In little things

Like belonging,

Being understood,

Eating, drinking, dancing,

Coming across a song that speaks to your soul,

Experiencing something you had kept on hold

For happiness to arrive,

Experiencing the sea,

The snow,

The desert,

The river.

The colors of seasons,

Nature.

Everything is happiness

If it fulfills you.

It is a fleeting moment of joy

In the midst of chaos

And a life that draws the days out of you.

Happiness is everywhere and nowhere.

By Shrishti Negi