Imagining Happiness

(Now some people say that little Lucie had been asleep upon the stile- but then how could she have found three clean pocket-handkins and a pinny, pinned with a silver safety-pin? And besides- I have seen that door into the back of the hill called Cat Bells- and besides I am very well acquainted with dear Mrs. Tiggy-winkle!)

The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter

What makes me happy? So people ask. Walking alone in the quiet morning or burstling afternoon alike makes me happy. Ruffling my fingers through the fur of lazy cat bathing the morning sun makes me happy. A friend’s smile and a friend’s hug makes me happy. A sight of a lovely old couple holding hands walking side by side makes me happy.

But most of all, reading makes me happy. Books give me companies no man can. Books teach me new things, they take me to new places, they introduce me to weird but amazingly admiring friends. Books fill up times I’d have otherwise passed alone, they make me laugh, they make me cry, they make me shriek hysterically, they make me swooned with love.

It seems so far it was book which drives me to achieve my dreams. Books allow me to believe in myself, to express my own ideas and my owns words. Books let me see the world for what it is, not simply through the lens of authoritative people who wants to control other people’s lives. Books introduces me to similar others who struggles daily to let their voices heard, from around the world through different times. Books get me to where I am now and I am immensely happy with what I’ve achieved so far - the love of my family, the joy of friendships, the accomplishments of my passion. Now let me ask you a question, are you happy?