What is happiness?

I'm not sure I always knew what happiness was. Sometimes I thought I was happy, but I wasn't. And there were times when I thought I was unhappy, but I was actually very happy. Sometimes we don't know how to appreciate happiness and it goes away. And when happiness is gone, we suddenly learn to appreciate it and desperately want to get it back, to get butterflies in our stomachs again, to laugh out loud and sleep peacefully.

Happiness is always there, we just have to work hard to find it. Or we don't. Sometimes it hides very well, so more effort is needed. And sometimes it's already there, but maybe we don't see it, and we just need to embrace it.

Recently, the Family Days festival was held in my city. Within the festival there were many creative activities for children. There were a lot of children's smiles, a lot of positive energy and joy. Children's choirs sang with their gentle voices, and my feelings were intense and mixed as I listened to them.

I was sad and happy at the same time because I can't forget the recent tragedy that happened in my city when a boy killed his friends at school. Such a tragedy has never happened before in my country and the state of shock is still present as well as sadness and compassion for the parents who lost their happiness in one moment.

And while my thoughts were wandering, I looked at my son happily bouncing in the rain and realized what happiness is.

Happiness is watching your children grow up in joy.

Happiness is having loved ones next to you.

Happiness is everything that makes us live and sleep peacefully.

Life is short, embrace your happiness and enjoy it.

Thank you very much for reading.

The images and writing are original and mine.