I want to be happy”, she proclaimed boldly to herself and to the world.
“Ah, but what does it means to be happy”, the old wise woman asked.
“ Just to be happy, you know, to feel good about myself and about life”.
“But what does that mean?”
“I just want to stop being afraid, you know of the unknown, I just want to be… oh you know what I mean”.
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, I want to wake up in the morning with joy in my heart and a song on my lips; I want to be filled with excitement and expectation of the day that lies ahead; I want to feel love and be loved, to feel fulfilled and serene at the same time; I want to experience all those beautiful things that make my soul come alive. I want to look at the world and see it as this beautiful place filled with awesome discoveries; I want to look at life and see it as this amazing journey that will lead me to unknown places filled with magic and enchantment; I want to experience these every day miracles that I no longer see or feel. I just want to feel content and safe and brave and whole and happy.”
“You make it sound as if all those things are impossible. Are you happy right now?”
“I don’t know.”
“How do you search for something that you can’t even recognise?”
“I’ll recognise when I find it.”
“My dear child, happiness is not some secret hidden away in some secret place where no one can find it. It’s there in your soul waiting for you to discover it inside yourself. Happiness lies in those quiet moments when you’re at complete peace with the world and yourself for no apparent reason; it’s in a beautiful memory that makes you smile every time you think about it; it’s in the innocent honest smile of a child; it’s knowing that you’re are where you need to be; it’s not knowing all the answers but to know that it’s okay; happiness is simple and unexpected. It just arrives unannounced and without any invitation. Just like love it needs no definition or explanation, it just happens and it changes who you are.”
“But how do you know when you’re happy?”
“You’ll know, just like you’ll know when you find true love. It’s simple and without complications. And you’ll feel the celebration in your soul, the truth will resonate in your heart and you’ll feel the beauty in your spirit. You’ll stop trying to be perfect or someone that you’re not. It’ll slowly creep up on you when you least expect it. You’ll just savour the moment without questioning it. You’ll just be.”
“But it’s not that simple.”
“It can be simple or complicated, you choose which one. In the end you decide on the journey, you write your own rules and what you decide will determine your path to happiness.”