Is It So Hard To Find Happiness?

Image Copyrighted

We bring to you our very first contributing writer Pritika Khera.

Of what we know of her, we could easily bet that she is a sunshine girl with the kind of vibes that make people happy if they are sad, happier if they are happy, and smile if they have forgot how to. She is the girl who loves bangles, dancing, and her friends. She is the person you would want to have around you because her cheerfulness is incredibly contagious. 

We leave you with her thoughts on happiness...




I have heard people say that happiness is hard to find, but is it really that hard….???

What is happiness? Maybe how we define this word is the answer.

Happiness is something that brings a sweet smile on your face. It is something that brings a tear in your eyes. It can be a snorting laughter or a sweet smile through blushing cheeks. Happiness is what we call Khushi in Hindi.

But, is it really that hard to find this Khushi?

I believe no. I believe finding it is as simple as the belief in God. If you believe in happiness no one in this whole wide world can make you sad.

And I found this answer today while coming back home from office in the same small RTV bus named 'Prateek' that I take from office everyday. I know it sounds like a guy’s name but no, it's the bus I travel in. Although I take this bus almost every evening but it was a special journey today. People who travel with me in the bus were also the same yet something was different.

May be the belief….The belief in happiness that I just talked about.

Yes, I could see that everywhere today. That happiness on everyone’s face. Be it the teenage girl sitting next to me smiling while talking to her boyfriend; a woman  sitting across from me who met her old friend after a long time; a group of old friends who were gossiping and giggling, filling the bus with sounds of laughter and positiveness all around; or the man on the last seat of the bus who swung left and right on every turn the bus took.

The best part of today’s journey was offering my seat to a  5-month pregnant lady . The charm and the glow that she had on her face was incomparable. Everyone seemed to be happy today as I wished to find that happiness even on this boiling and humid evening, because today I realized that I should believe in finding my happiness in the happiness of my loved ones or even strangers.

I realized happiness is so simple to find in small things, things that may or may not be connected to us. It is we who decide what we want from life, how we want to spend this day which we call present, a gift.

And, at the end of my bus journey today, I must confess I noticed the bus’ name—PRATEEK—meaning symbol, which too sounded funny to me. It made me smile once again.

You can spill your thoughts, advises, opinions, blunders, and wisdom on the pages of  Oh! Dear Giggles. Write to us at ohdeargiggles@gmail.com

birthdays and siblings...

Over the weekend my brother celebrated his 29th birthday. When my son asked him "how old are you?" my brother smiled and replied "not as old as your mom!"

Which is true. 

We are 21 months apart. He is the youngest, I am the oldest. My children adore him. They ask almost daily "when can Uncle Toby come over?" "what do you think Uncle Toby is doing right now?" "Uncle Toby is my best friend..."

When he visits they dive bomb him with show and tell and questions and watch this and watch me and talk to me and listen to this and oh did you know... 

I think he kind of loves it. 

But the other day I had to say "he's MY brother. I want to talk to him!" and then I thought it'd be a great teaching moment to talk about how we are siblings, and my two are siblings, and we get along, so maybe they should see that... oy. It went all wrong and we ended up laughing because I was making no sense. 

I want them to have what we have. 

We were best friends growing up. Confidants. Playmates. Yes, I might have tried to sell him a rock from our gravel walkway for his only two dollars... but mostly we got on just fine. I remember conspiring to stay up all night in sleeping bags on Christmas Eve, only to fall asleep just as I'm sure things got interesting around the Christmas tree. Riding bikes together to the library across town. Adventures when I started driving and we could go off the two of us for real. We crossed a state line and laughed like crazy, wondering what mom and dad would think. We were always in cahoots. 

This is the summer of getting along for my children. They are 5 and almost 3 {21 months apart...} and can spend hours either playing together seamlessly or they spend the day at each other poking and taunting and driving each other mad. 

I remember having those crazy at each others throats days with my brother as well... but they were the minority. 

But then, I don't really remember when I was 5 and he was 3. There's probably a reason for that. 

Watching my kids and their relationship unfold is fascinating. Complicated. And utterly silly and hopeful. 

{and now... I have to cut this short to end a stomping screaming match of wills upstairs.... oh yes there's a reason why we have selective memories from childhood!!}

Rain is a Beautiful Thing

A couple of days ago, the city experienced the first rain of the Monsoon season this year. The weather is still rainy. It's a good feeling. 

The kind of heat that the city of Delhi faces during its summers cannot be cooled by the air conditioners at homes or in cars, or by ice creams or water parks. The city needs to drench. It needs to soak its sun-tanned feet in the rain water. In moments when needed, rain is a beautiful thing. 

source

I was out, without an umbrella, when it rained a couple of days ago. Like everybody else, I rushed towards the metro station that evening. While I was rushing, I noticed a few cliche rainy day scenes.

People hurrying to find a place under the roof of the near-by bus stop. 

Fruit-sellers hurriedly wrapping their fruit baskets. 

A guy running past me.

Cars splashing muddy water as the drivers drove through puddles. 

This was not how I was going to experience the first rain of the season. I slowed down. I decided I was going to enjoy it. Though I knew I could not spread my arms, look up at the dark sky to feel the raindrops on my face, and sing or laugh in the middle of road. But I did not want to rush anymore. Because the rain did not annoy me. Because the cool breeze did not make me lose my mind. I had always been somebody who enjoyed rains and I wanted to continue to be that somebody. 

The best thing about rains is that they bring a smile on your face and you don't mind the cool breeze tangle your hair. And because suddenly romance is on your mind, all you start to wish for is for that one person to be there with you; to walk hand in hand in the rain, or to find a shelter together and giggle all the time until the rain stops. 

Rain makes me feel like I am beautiful.

Like I am relaxed.

Like I am happy.

Like there is somebody right out there for each one of us.

Like it's Paris or Rome. Because love is always in the air when it rains.