I recently caught myself smiling while doing something that a lot of people would consider strange.
I felt happy and realized that happiness is achievable in the least expected ways.
No, I didn’t win the lottery, and neither was it a self-help revelation. At least not in the same context.

But my understanding of the term happiness has always been perceived as anything that makes you smile or happy.
But I remembered my high school teacher hated defining words with synonyms.

So, I did a quick Google search to get a better answer.
Look what Google got me.

Yeah, this wasn’t the answer I expected. But here is a better definition matching what I felt.

Bingo! this is more of what I felt.
But first, a flashback. Precisely two weeks.

On a January morning in the North Eastern United States, the weather is usually chilly.
It happens that today is one of those mornings.
Though sunny—which would make a perfect day to play in the park—the temperatures are low and freezing.
But barely any snow on the ground.

Back inside the house, it’s the opposite. It feels perfect for an indoor activity.

But none of that today because it’s laundry Saturday, and my two girls are piling up their dirty laundry.
My one y/o daughter—who obviously can’t do anything—is still asleep but will soon be awakened because this time,
we are all heading over to the laundromat that happens to be twelve minutes away.

All you can hear is the sound of pounding footsteps echoing across our second floor.
They’re excited to be out of the house. Something we haven’t been able to do for a few weeks now.

I seem to share some of that excitement.

Honestly, I have no idea why anyone would be excited to visit a room filled with coin-operated washing machines.
Anything to get you out of the house will do at this rate, I guess.

So yes, “that feeling that comes over you when you know life is good, and you can’t help but smile” is what I felt.
End of flashback.

What Makes You Happy?

Many agree that happiness comes from things such as stress management, positive thinking, a healthy lifestyle,
exercising, achievements, wealth, social engagement, selfless acts, meditation, and so much more.
It’s a societal consensus. I agree with most. But I got something more to add to the list.

Be in the moment. Be random

The opportunity for you to smile and know that life is good is now. Stop worrying about things past
but let now be the defining moment for then.
What are you currently doing? Are you smiling? If yes, what brought it? Can you carry the same spirit forward?
What about when the smile fades off. Can you bring it back?

How random moments make me happy?

I had January 2021 planned to be in my country with family and friends. The COVID-19 pandemic did not allow that to happen.
On this particular morning of January, I felt empty, sad, and nostalgic.
Enduring cold, bleak winter alone instead of warm tropical days and nights back in East Africa.

But listening to my daughters run back and forth across the floor, excited about laundry is all it took to trigger that smile.
I had no choice but to join them. All of a sudden, I wasn’t alone.

Whatever you’re going through, step away from societal consensus and think of a little moment you often ignore.
It is random but enough to bring back that forgotten smile.
So take a minute and think of all random moments you associate with happiness. Think of those moments anyone wouldn’t be quick to call happy moments.

My list looks like this.

• Happiness is:
  • Doing laundry with my three girls.
  • Echoing of my daughters’ footsteps across the floor.
  • Waking up in the middle of the night to tend to my children.
  • Reading letters my eight y/o writes to me daily full of grammar and spelling mistakes.
  • Watching my girls have their petty fights, and a few minutes later, giggle. 
  • A warm cozy room when it’s freezing outside.
  • Finding something to smile about when things don’t go as planned.

Should we start thinking about happiness in a way that doesn’t restrict us to societal consensus? I think so.

We might be able to look back on the simple things that would have brought the best memories and smile because they made us smile.
Much love.