Reader's Digest Essentials -- Happiness is like a flower

Author: Dongfang Xiao, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: What is happiness? Happiness is the joy felt deep in the heart. Aristotle said, "Happiness means self-satisfaction." Achieving happiness may seem difficult, but it's actually simple—understanding how to cherish is the shortcut. Laughter is a form of happiness, but tears are also a form of happiness. You only know sorrow to truly feel joy. To laugh heartily and cry heartily, to express emotions freely, is itself a very happy thing. In reality, happiness is simple—it lies in your discovery and appreciation. If you chase fame and fortune endlessly, happiness will leave you. Only in the ordinary can you feel happiness. Happiness is all around us, visible everywhere—it's important that you learn to cherish happiness.
Below is a small story that will give you a deeper understanding of happiness:
A little lion asked his mother, "Where is happiness?"
The mother said, "Happiness is right at the end of your tail."
The little lion chased his tail all day long but couldn't find the happiness he wanted.
The mother said, "As long as you keep walking forward, happiness will always follow behind you."
Sometimes, we don't need to deliberately search for happiness—it follows us like a tail.
A certain amount of happiness in a person's life is predetermined. If you cherish a little, you gain a little; if you waste a little, you lose a little. From cherishing to wasting, this back-and-forth is two units of happiness. Life is like this—there is much happiness around you, but it depends on whether you can discover it and whether you can cherish it once you do.
If you cherish it, you might be happy for a lifetime; if you miss it, it may vanish in an instant, perhaps never to be found again.
Perhaps you have a loved one beside you—grasping them will be the person who supports you for life; if you miss them, true love may be hard to find.
This back-and-forth may be like the difference between heaven and earth, but from ancient times to the present, how many people have been good at discovering and seizing happiness?
Happiness is often just a glass of plain water.
I often hear people complain, "I am so unhappy—I have never known happiness."
But think carefully—is it that these people have never experienced happiness, or that they haven't truly savored this glass of plain water, haven't appreciated the happiness they already possess?
When you are in hardship, have you ever appreciated the happiness of having a healthy body?
When you don't have a healthy body, have you ever appreciated the happiness of having an optimistic and positive mind?
Even when you no longer have a healthy mind, have you ever appreciated the happiness of having once lived in the world and left beautiful memories for others?
If so, you are happy—you understand the value of appreciation.
A person who can shout to the world, "I am happy," is definitely someone who understands the art of appreciation.
They understand the value of their sound body, the value of their healthy mind, and the value of the traces they leave in the world.
A person who, when others talk about how unhappy their life is, can smile and say, "I live in happiness," is also someone who understands the art of appreciation.
All of this is happiness; all of this has melted into that ordinary glass of plain water.
Have you ever appreciated happiness? Have you ever appreciated the glass of plain water before you?
Happiness is truly just a glass of plain water—we must learn to cherish this glass of water, because once it evaporates without notice, it will never return.
Appreciate happiness, appreciate every little thing in life.
If you learn to cherish, you will be the happiest person in the world.
When you encounter someone complaining about their misfortunes, smile and tell them, "You are indeed unfortunate, but your misfortune lies in not understanding how to appreciate happiness. Appreciate happiness, and you will realize how truly happy you are."
Appreciate—happiness!