Happiness

This story is about a beautiful, expensively dressed lady who complained to her psychiatrist that she felt that her whole life was empty, it had no meaning.

 

So, the lady went to visit a counselor to seek out happiness.

The counselor called over the old lady who cleaned the office floors.

The counselor then said to the rich lady "I'm going to ask Mary here to tell u how she found happiness. All I want u to do is listen to her."

So the old lady put down her broom and sat on a chair and told her story:

 

 

 

"Well, my husband died of malaria and three months later my only son was killed by a car. I had nobody. I had nothing left. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I never smiled at anyone, I even thought of taking my own life. Then one evening a little kitten followed me home from work. Somehow I felt sorry for that kitten. It was cold outside, so I decided to let the kitten in. I got some milk, and the kitten licked the plate clean. Then it purred and rubbed against my leg and, for the first time in months, I smiled.

Then I stopped to think, if helping a little kitten could make me smile, may be doing something for people could make me happy.

So, the next day I baked some biscuits and took them to a neighbor who was sick in bed.

Every day I tried to do something nice for someone. It made me so happy to see them happy.

Today, I don't know of anybody who sleeps and eats better than I do.

I've found happiness, by giving it to others."

When she heard this, the rich lady cried. She had everything that money could buy, but she had lost the things which money cannot buy.

"The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are; but on how happy others can be because of you..."

​​

Happiness is not a destination, it's a journey. 

Happiness is not tomorrow, it is now. 

Happiness is not dependency, it is a decision. 

Happiness is what you are, not what you have..

 

आयुष्य

एखादा छान ड्रेस आवडतो आपल्याला. दुकानात असलेल्या कपड्यांच्या गर्दीत तो साधा वाटतो, पण तरीही आवडतो. काहीतरी दुसरे घेऊन बाहेर पडतो आपण. परतताना मनात विचार येतो ‘तो ड्रेस घ्यायला हवा होता!’

सिग्नलला गाडी थांबते. चिमुरडी काच ठोठावते. गोड हसते, पण भिक मागत आहे हे लक्षात घेऊन त्या हसण्याकडे फार लक्ष देत नाही आपण. २-३ रुपये द्यावे असे मनात येते. रेंगाळत सुटे शोधता शोधता ‘देऊ का नको’ हा धावा मनात सुरू असतो. तेवढ्यात सिग्नल सुटतो. गाडी पुढे घ्यायची वेळ येते. थोडे पुढे गेल्यावर मन म्हणते, ‘सुटे होते समोर, द्यायला हवे होते त्या चिमुरडीला!’

जेवणाच्या सुट्टीत ऑफिसातला मित्र त्याच्या घरातला त्रास फार विश्‍वासाने सांगतो. त्याच्या डोळ्यात व्यथांचे ढग दाटलेले दिसतात. वाईट वाटते खूप. नशीब आपण त्या परिस्थितीत नाही असेही मनोमनी पुटपुटून आपण मोकळे होतो. ‘काही मदत हवी का?’ असे विचारायचे असूनही आपण गप्प राहतो. जेवणाची सुट्टी संपते. तो त्याच्या आणि आपण आपल्या कामाला लागतो. क्षणभर स्वत:वर राग येतो, ‘मदत तर विचारली नाही, निदान खांद्यावर सहानुभूतीचा हात तरी ठेवायला हवा होता मी!’

असेच होते नेहमी. छोट्या छोट्या गोष्टी राहून जातात. खरं तर या छोट्या गोष्टीच जगण्याचे कारण असतात. 

जगण्याची साधने जमवताना जगणेच राहून जात नाहीयेना ते ‘चेक’ करा.

आनंद झाला तर हसा, वाईट वाटले तर डोळ्यांना बांध घालू नका. चांगल्या गोष्टीची दाद द्या आवडले नाही तर सांगा, घुसमटू नका. नंतर त्यावर विचार करून काहीच साध्य नाही.

आयुष्यातल्या छोट्या गोष्टींना महत्त्व द्या. त्या छोट्या क्षणांना जीवनाच्या धाग्यात गुंफणे म्हणजेच जगणे.

आवडलेल्या गाण्यावर मान नाही डुलली तर ‘लाईफ’ कसले! आनंदात आनंद आणि दु:खात दु:ख नाही जाणवले तर लाईफ कसले..!

Don't be serious, be sincere

Hot Chocolate

group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. 
 

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.   

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking; expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate... In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.  
 

What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.  
 

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have.  
 

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.  
 

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate.