Answers

Happiness

When I used to be a little girl, my parents would ask me if I was happy. Me being a curious toddler would always ask what happiness exactly was. My father always said: "happiness is when you have everything you ever wanted, when you have a nice roof above your  head, and all kinds of toys." "Then," I used to answer. "Then I must be the happiest girl in the world, right daddy?" My father would always look at me with a warm smile and say :" of course you are, why wouldn't you? You have everything you could ever wish for!"

When I used to be a teenager, my therapist would ask me if i was happy. Me being a stubborn teenager, I would always ask what happiness exactly was. My therapist always said: "happiness is when you're surrounded by your beloving family, and have somebody to talk to; to express all your bottles up emotions to." "Then," I used to answer. "Then I must be one of the happiest persons in the world, right? " My therapist would always look at me with a sympathetic smile and say : "Of course you are, why wouldn't you? You have both of your parents who love you, and all of your other family members; and last but not least, you have me!"

Now when I'm a grown up girl, you always ask me if I'm happy. The thing is, me being me, I don't have to ask what exactly happiness is anymore; when I look at you, and see all of your perfection, and then look back at me, and see all of my imperfections, I know that that's happiness. The feeling of me being worth somebody as perfectly imperfect as you; The feeling of acknowledging all of my imperfections, and then just... being okay with it I guess, that is for me happiness.

For me, my life wasn't necessarily about becoming happy, it was more about understanding what happiness actually was.  And I'm proud to say, that I'm one of the few people who actually found true happiness.