Happiness

I’m feeling a bit philosophical today, perhaps since I watched the end of a great TV show’s second season. It inspired some thoughts in me.

I’m sure someone’s said this before, but I believe that what we do when no one's watching is what defines us. We’ve got friends and family, coworkers and people we meet at the supermarket. But when it comes down to it, we all end up alone sometimes. We break up with people, we lose people, and some of us aren’t charismatic enough to make many friends. Sometimes, everyone’s busy, and we have time to ourselves, and we feel lonely.

It’s how we use this time that counts. We need time to get to know ourselves. To heal our bodies and minds. To believe in ourselves, get through the hard times, and make our dreams come true. I don't mean to sound cliche. When times are hard, do we have the strength to pick ourselves up? Make ourselves happy again? Do something meaningful? And I don’t mean we have to change the world. Doing whatever simple thing we love to do can be meaningful. Sometimes we can only depend on ourselves, and if we appreciate ourselves enough, we can make it. And we can make anything happen.

Appreciating the little things can help make us happy again. "That first sip of hot tea on a cold morning," to quote Owen from Torchwood. Our favorite stories, be it book, movie, or TV. Favorite foods. Writing, talking, dreaming. Places we love. This world is really a beautiful place. We just have to realize it once in a while.

Photo: One of my favorite things to do. Sit on the beach and watch the ferry come in and out, breathe in the salty air, and appreciate life.