
Happiness is a state of mind. It is not only having what we want, but wanting what we
have.
The grand
essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and
something to hope for. Many of us have come to believe that happiness is
unattainable. However, many of us also have attained happiness by realizing that
it does not spring from procuring physical or mental pleasure, but from the
development of reason and the adjustment of conduct to principles.
Pope Francis encourages us to enjoy life. Here are some thoughts derived from his
writings about being happy.
Be happy not
because
everything
is good, but
because you
could see
the good
side of
everything. |
We may have defects, anxious and sometimes irritated, but let us not forget that
our life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only we can prevent it from
going into depravity; there are many who need, admire and love us.
Pope Francis reminds us that being happy is not having a sky without storms,
roads without roadblocks, work without fatigue, nor relationships without
disappointments; that being happy is finding strength in forgiveness, hope in
one’s battles, security at the stage of fear, love in disagreements; that being
happy is not only to treasure the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness.
Happiness is
being around people who may not be your real family, but who love and
support you anyway. |
Being happy is not just commemorating the event, but also learning lessons in
failures; that it is not just having joy with the applause, but also having joy
in anonymity; that being happy is to recognize that it is worthwhile to live,
despite all the challenges, misunderstandings and times of crises; that it is
not inevitable fate to be happy, but a victory for those of us who can travel towards
it with our own being and to stop being a victim of problems but become an actor
in history itself.
We can be happy by crossing the deserts outside of ourselves, and to be able to
find an oasis in the recesses of our soul. It is to thank God every morning for
the miracle of life. Being happy is not being afraid of one's feelings; it is to
know how to talk about ourselves; it is to bear with courage when hearing a
"no"; it is to have the security to receive criticism, even if is unfair.
It is to kiss the children, pamper the parents, and have poetic moments with
friends, even if they have hurt us; being happy means allowing the free, happy
and simple child inside each of us to live; having the maturity to say, "I was
wrong"; having the audacity to say, "forgive me"; it is to have sensitivity in
expressing, "I need you"; to have the ability of saying, "I love you."
Our life is a garden full of opportunities for being happy; in our springtime,
may we become a lover of joy; in our winter, may we become a friend of wisdom.
And when we go wrong along the way, we start all over again, so we will be more
passionate about life.
Then we will find that happiness is not about having a perfect life but about
using tears to water tolerance, losses to refine patience, failures to carve
serenity, pain to lapidate pleasure, obstacles to open the windows of
intelligence.
Let us never give up, never give up on the people we love; never give up from
being happy because life is an incredible show and we are a special human
being!
By Tim Pedrosa



Happiness
is what we all strive for, at the end of the day. Perhaps, it's the best
thing we get in life, the one thing really worth dreaming about. But is
not easy to have nor to keep. We must work each day at being happy,
the change, usually coming from within and not from without. |
Tim
|