21DJC Day 16 – What Makes You Happy?

This is Day 16 of the 21-Day Journaling Challenge held in Nov 2011. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.

Empty book for journaling

Hi everyone – Welcome to Day 16 of 21DJC! :)

Yesterday’s question was: “What is the Most Painful Thing You Have Ever Experienced To Date?“. (Read the responses.)

The most painful experience in my life is something I mentioned before (albeit briefly) in part-3 of the moving on series. It was the period when my mom was in ICU after a surgery, in 2006.

At that time, my mom had to undergo a surgery due to a complication developed since my birth over 20 years ago. I never knew what the complication was, because my parents refused to tell me. They have always kept me out of the ‘adult’ matters in the household, because they don’t want to ‘bother’ me or make me worry for no reason.

So the surgery was scheduled. Since it was in the day, she didn’t want me, my brother, nor my father at the hospital because she felt it was unnecessary. She wanted it as low key as possible. So we didn’t, in respect to her wishes. Also, the surgery was supposed to be a normal, standard procedure, nothing

So the surgery took place. It was a success, as far as the surgery was concerned.

Little would we know she would slip into a coma and enter the ICU after the surgery.

I remember crying like crazy during that time. Everything was a blur, though I remember specific bits and pieces during the period.

I remember regretting the way I treated her in the past – so rudely and abrasively.

I remember not being able to stop my tears from flowing at the hospital, no matter how much I tried.

I remember asking the doctor about her condition and not being able to utter more than a few words without my voice trembling or me breaking into tears. I vaguely remember the doctor saying that the first 24-48 hours were the most critical – that if she didn’t wake up in this period, it would be increasingly unlikely for her to come around.

I remember not being able to comprehend the possibility of her not being around – especially when she was right there at home just a few days ago, doing her regular chores.

I remember seeing her weak and frail on the hospital bed, behind the glass panel, inside the ICU, plugged on life support. Something which I had difficulty comprehending because she had always been the almighty, the powerful mom in my life.

I remember being a complete wreck. I had never felt more scared in my life. I never knew it was possible to feel that scared.

I remember thinking: “What if mama dies? What would I do?

The episode made me realize how much my mom meant to me, even though she had been playing a silent role all this while. I had clearly taken her for granted, just as I had always been taking my father, my brother, and everything else in my life for granted.

Thankfully, she pulled through the critical stage. She came to within 48 hours, was discharged from the hospital after a few weeks, and was slowly nursed back to full health. Today she’s fine and as healthy as she can be.

Many of you graciously shared your painful experiences with us. Thank you. You may not realize it, but your sharing has and will continue to make a difference in the lives of those who read it. Your sharing has opened the eyes of those who had not undergone the same experience before. Your sharing has opened the hearts of those who share the same experiences, but have not found it in their power to move on yet.

Pain is a powerful emotion, because it lets us realize the things that matter to us in life. Without pain, we would not be able to appreciate what we have in quite the same way. Just like a rubber band snaps back with full power when it has been pulled back to the maximum, it is our down points that create our up moments. The life of a person who has never experienced pain before will never be as rich as the life of a person who has undergone cycles of ups and downs.

Don’t ever bottle up or hold back on your pain, because pain is meant to be felt in its entirety. For whatever pain you may have faced in the past or are facing right now, feel it fully. Soak in the emotion. Understand why you are feeling it. Understand where it is coming from. Understand what it represents to you.

And when you’ve truly come to terms with the incident, you’ll find that it no longer triggers any negativity. Neither will you find any resistance towards it. In its place, would be a sense of peace, acceptance and happiness.

Articles that will help:

With that said, let’s now move to today’s question.

21DJC Day 16

Yesterday we shared our painful experiences. As we gently accept our pain from the past, today I’d like you to think about happiness. Today’s question is:

What Makes You Happy?

Girl smiling

What makes you smile? What do you look forward to doing the most? What do you love most about life? What brings you happiness?

Your Task Today:

  1. Reflect and answer today’s question. There’s no word limit – whether minimum or maximum. Write as few or as many words as you want. It’s all up to what you want to express!
  2. Share your answer. After you are done writing, copy and paste your answer in the comments area and post it there.
  3. Check out other participants’ answers. Other participants will be sharing their answers too, so feel free to read and reply to their answers. This is a group course, so let’s support each other in these 21 days.
Look forward to reading your answers! :D

((Images: Empty book for journaling, Girl smiling))

114 comments
  1. Spending time with my family, being on vacation, learning new things, working out, reading, relaxing, listening to music, achieving goals, helping others.

  2. My family makes me happy. Long hot summer days and nights make me happy. Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy. A smile from a stranger makes me happy. A thank you from a patient makes me happy. Clean sheets after a hot bath make me happy. It’s the little things…..

  3. Some big things that make me happy:
    the good health of my family
    being debt-free and having a job
    living in a peaceful part of the world

    And some smaller things:
    exercise walks/running/swimming
    hot baths
    good food and company
    candle light
    a clean and comfortable house
    being creative

  4. Holding my daughter’s hand while watching a movie at my home (say Harry Potter or some comedy or Chain Saw Massacre), under the warm blanket with my teenage son on my left and my husband on the far right and my French Bulldog snoring at my feat while eating a triple layer chocolate cake (small chunks very slowly melting against the walls of my mouth).. Inclement cold rainy November outside. Friday evening. Warm apple cider to drink.

    Heaven!..

    This is other similar types of heaven available to me in this life. At that moment.
    Before they are gone forever.

  5. Life makes me happy! Legit. Not the 9-5 hectic schedules that we call “life”, but spending it with the people we love and doing what we are meant to do. Love it. Kittens make me happy. Dark chocolate and yummy drinks make me happy. Humor that isn’t derogatory is the best. READING ALWAYS MAKES ME HAPPY! I just love a good book so much. Hugs from people I trust. An unexpected compliment. All things that make me happy. :)

  6. What makes me happy is remembering that we are all interconnected and that everything is inter-related – remembering that we are not isolated individuals. Maybe I should say ‘re-member-ing’.

    What makes me happy is when I remember to see the glass half full rather than half empty.

    What makes me happy is that two of my daughters have just told me they can come home for Christmas.

    Jam doughnuts.

  7. There are so many things that make me happy:
    – My parents, my brother, being with them makes me happy.
    – Enjoying a sunset/sunrise while feeling the wind on my face.
    – Walking under the rain.
    – Being able to do something nice for a stranger even if it is a really small thing.
    – Seeing someone similing or laughing.
    – Talking to someone who is passionate about what he/she does.
    – Reading a good book, watching an inspirational movie.
    – Music, I can´t live without music.
    – Being able to fight for my dreams, no matter how hard it is.
    – Meditating, enjoying some alone-time.
    – Talking to my best friend about anything.
    – Studying.
    – Dancing, I love dancing more than anything.

    The list could go on forever.

  8. Being happy to me is about being in the moment, and can be playing and laughing with my kids,
    reading a book, painting and a zillion other things.

    Being happy to me is about small things….
    Being barefooted on the beach feeling the sand, smelling an applepie or homemade bread.
    It´s about having a good time with friends and/or family.

  9. I’m happy seeing my kids happy. I’m happy talking to my sister, spending time with my kids and granddaughter. I’m happy for being alive, healthy.
    I just lost my Mom, and I am happy for the full life she lived. For her example, for her happiness, for the way she was. She was the most selfless person I have met, she was the most giving person. I am happy for spending time with her and learning a little from her.

  10. ilianaki94 14 years ago

    Being with my family and my friends, being outside, when it’s sunny,when it’s snowing, even when it’s raining. I smile when I see something that tells me to photograph it, knowing that I am part of this entire universe makes me happy, love and kindness shown by people makes me happy. I’m happy when I smile for no reason. Doing things that remind me of my childhood makes me happy. Singing out loud in front of everyone even though I’m not a singer. Playing with dogs and talking to them.

  11. I’m essentially a happy, optimistic person who can be counted on seeing the positive side of every situation. So much that i’ve been nicknamed- “sunshinekid”. Probably, coz i am still a kid at heart.

    I feel happy at having so many people to love me and care for me- loving parents, smart shweety-pie husband (hope he never reads this! ), my doppelganger twin sister, jolly cousins, pampering grandparents, adorable nieces and playful nephews, and the rest of my huge and growing family, trustworthy friends, benevolent professors, helpful mentors and even all those random strangers whose kindness reaffirms my faith in humanity. :dance:

    Mother Nature often gives me reasons to smile- a sunny blue sky with picture-perfect fluffy clouds, a tree in full bloom, a winter morning that imparts a dreamy, hill station serenity to the scene outside my window, the plop of raindrops on the road, kids playing in a puddle, a gurgling brook, the whoo-whoo of a chilly wind. I also love the laugh of a toddler, the tinkling bells in a temple, a cup of tea and bhajjis on a rainy day and listening to my ipod. And reading books- lots of them! Travelling to beautiful places and meeting new people.

    There are some wonderful things that I experienced for the first time after coming to the US- even after I return, these are joyful memories I will cherish forever. They include a long soak in the bath-tub, a flock of geese hooting and flyoing in a “V”, my first dazzling snow shower ( its incredible how soft and pretty the flakes are!!! ), para-sailing, kayaking, seeing llamas, golden tamarins and gorillas at the zoo, hash browns, blonde, blue-eyed babies. A cute black baby at the park with the most incredibly expressive and amazing eyes (like black pearls) and perfect, rosy pouting lips- the most beautiful baby I have ever seen! :love: Also baking- I never imagined it would be so easy to make sponge cakes, vegetable puffs and cookies.

    Feeling buoyed just to be alive and having so many reasons to rejoice! :angel:

    But if this question means what I like doing that makes me happy- then it would be reading, travelling and designing stuff. I am an electronics engineer and I feel happiest when I’m designing a circuit or a program that takes the user’s requirements and exceeds their expectations. I still remember the first LED circuit we made- the bulbs read “merry xmas!”

    In a nutshell, i feel that happiness is a state of mind- if you go looking for reasons to smile, life will hand out hundreds. So count your blessings and be happy.

  12. :heart: Wow this list is as varied and eclectic as could be I think…now that I appreciate little things, the list of them that make me happy are almost endless.
    -BUT TODAY my mom hopefully coming home from the hospital would make me very happy. Today is my 32 birthday and I can’t think of any better gift than having her back home with us! :dance:

    – Cooking a meal with someone, the shared scents and smells and flavors make for a very rich and happy way to spend time together.
    – Making music; by playing piano, violin, french horn, trumpet, cello, any of them!!
    – Helping people, especially when it’s something I have learned that I can do now and coudln’t before and get to give someone that same sense of satisfaction. Or a lesson I have learned so that I can keep someone from making a similar painful mistake.
    – The smell of the air, crisp and bright, right before it snows!!
    – SNOW!!! I love snow or watching it when it’s snowing!
    – Creating; whether it be crocheting, drawing, painting, cooking, baking, cross-stitch, sewing, building a snowman,
    – Spending time with my sweetheart…doing nothing special, just sharing the same space. It fills my heart with joy. :love:
    – Thunderstorms!!
    – Decorating the house for Christmas with the smells of cinnamon and orange through the house. Listening to silly xmas music that any other time of the year makes me want to throttle someone they play it so often.
    – Candles, tealights, little lanterns. The bright happy flicker of the flame makes any room more happy.
    – Writing letters and sending cards…that’s right snail mail. :)
    – Buying things for others makes me happy. A dangerous one. I will buy things other people need until I am flat broke without a second thought. I have gotten myself into trouble with this once so I have gotten more strict with budgeting and choosing my priority assists.
    – Reading…I LOVE reading and books make me happy. Just even having them and holding them. The smell of book. All happy
    – Telling my friends and family I love them and then finding a way to show it each and every day makes me happy!! :hug:

    I think you are getting the idea and if I keep going we may never get to the next journal question! lol

    • Happy birthday!! :)

    • Happy Bday! :dance:
      Hope your mom is discharged and you are able to spend a lovely day with your loved ones!

  13. Walking in the sun. Running in the rain. Sleeping. Playing with Orange. Getting things done. Dancing. Browsing books in a library or bookshop. Smelling the aroma of morning coffee. Reading. Riding in a taxi to the airport to catch a flight for my trip. Going for film festivals. Yoga-ing.

  14. I seek happiness almost to a fault these days, though it was not always that way.

    1. Nature- When i am walking i notice beautiful flowers, plants, fruits. I want a home that is full of fruits and trees and birds chirping:)

    2. Babies- they remind me that we are always a beautiful people to look at.

    3. When i am totally in peace with myself, God and everyone. I do not like situations where i feel disturbed so i try to solve my issues when i can or just let little stuff go.

    4. Love.

    5. Reading this website makes me happy. It reminds me of where i have come from since i discovered it and where i am going. Celes is a wonderful person and inspiration to me:) :heart:

  15. Stella_Zorro 14 years ago

    Being with people I love and who truly enjoy my company – I’m wondering if that is selfish of me? Being in the “flow” and living in reality where synchronicity is the norm and it has the greatest sense of humor. Being with like-minded people. Experiencing something incredibly beautiful or out of the ordinary. The right music. That certain scent. That magical flavor. Being warm and comfy. A good book or movie. Overcoming personal obstacles/challenges. Spending quality time with my son.

  16. …spending time with friends, dining and having long, interesting, engaging talks;
    …hearing from a special friend after some lull;
    …remembering times of togetherness;
    …spending time with my children;
    …hearing that my ex still thinks of me (haha!) or still listens to the songs that we liked before;
    …eating and enjoying health food and eating just the right amount, where you know you gave the best nutrition to your body without overstuffing yourself;
    …moving from overweight to normal when you have your body mass index computed;
    …spending quality time, that includes being comfortable with silences, with a special person;
    …watching a good movie or reading a book slowly, that lifts your spirit, gives you a good laugh, makes you think and reflect at your own values, inspires you to be a better version of now yourself;
    …listening to ted talks, watching the special video in duirwaigh.com, finding your fave music you have not heard played over the radio for decades;
    …swimming;
    …completing 4 laps of brisk walking in the academic oval of my university;
    …when i hear or use expressions like “coming up for air” or “stopping to smell the roses”;
    …reading and sharing “desiderata” and knowing it has a calming effect on the recipient;
    …going to my “church” to talk to my “god” and being energized and inspired to move forward;
    …writing here and being among friends i have not yet met…

  17. Shannon L. Buck 14 years ago

    I have learned that people, places, things and events cannot make you happy, though they can please you. Happiness comes from within. Staying positive and motivated helps to bring forth this happiness, though it sometimes takes work.

    When you are happy from within, you enjoy things more. Some of the things I enjoy the most are spending time with my daughters, evening walks and the autumn months

  18. ninschubur 14 years ago

    – being with my boyfriend, hugging, feeling at home
    – going on a journey, to a foreign country, experience new people and landscapes
    – being with nature: forest, river, sea, mountain, flowers
    – being with friends, laughing, sharing, playing, experiencing
    – being with family, feeling home
    – being in monastery, calmness, awareness and mindfulness
    – ging to school for traditional mental healing, wonderful learning
    – playing badminton with my friends
    – reading a wonderful book in the bath-tub
    – a day in sunshine, warm and clear

  19. My girls smiling and laughing brings me happiness.
    Beautiful days with the sun shining makes me happy.
    Laughing at something silly my boyfriend says makes me happy.
    Kidding with my best friends makes me happy.
    Just enough money for a new pair of jeans makes me happy.
    Sunrise and sunsets across the mountains makes me happy.
    Songs I love playing on the radio makes me happy.
    Doing something for someone I care about makes me happy.
    Some memories makes me happy.
    Laughing at a funny movie or show makes me happy.
    Walking makes me happy.
    Enjoying my photos and taking new ones makes me happy.
    My puppy makes me happy.
    I can find a lot of things in life that makes me happy and it balances out the sadness in life

  20. I lived most of my life being negative and depressed, until I realized that happiness is a choice. And I made that choice. It’s that simple :) Always look on the bright side of life, as the song says. I’m connected to everything I do, I keep my mind focused on the present. I appreciate all those things I used to take for granted. Now that’s my source of happiness.
    Helping others, listening to their stories, being a friend for the outcasted people, making someone feel less lonely, sad or misunderstood, that’s what makes me truly happy. Giving what’s best of me. And then recharge batteries with music and sunshines and coffee and time spent with my family and conversations with open-minded people and reading and looking at everything like I’m seeing it for the first time.
    I’m not saying it’s easy, especially when we’re surrounded by so much poverty and violence, superficial people imposing their non-values on tv, politicians and their empty promises, etc. We have to build our oasis deep within and take good care of it. And happiness will spread from inside, naturally. :)

  21. to receive an interesting character in a play, being content with my decisions, shopping, going to the gym, attaining goals, realizing that life changes in every moment and being able to have control of every moment, the moment i discover that exactly what i wished for happened!

  22. When I was younger, happiness was different. Bright lights, loud music, parties, dancing, everything that glitter. I look for happiness everywhere — in shopping malls, cinemas, discos, clubs, etc — but I couldn’t find anything that will last or even meaningful.

    Now, much older, I hope wiser, :cool: happiness is much different.

    The list is endless and it’s in the simple things that doesn’t cost anything sometimes.

    * Waking up each day

    * Being alive

    * Being healthy

    * That there is peace.

    * Spending time with family/friends and bonding with each other

    * Making somebody happy

    * A smile

    * Cooking (but not the cleaning up)

    * Going for walks in nature.

    * Seeing a flower.

    * Smelling the scent of the flowers can make me high

    * Listening to the leaves rustling in the breeze.

    * Listening to the birds chirping.

    * Feeling the breeze blowing on my face

    * Quietness and calmness

    * Listening to music.

    * Singing to my favorite tune.

    * Walking by the beach

    Ok, that should be enough — I think you get the rough idea. ;)

    I make myself happy. I don’t have to look for it anywhere or depend on anybody to make me happy. It’s inside me all the time.

    • “I make myself happy. I don’t have to look for it anywhere or depend on anybody to make me happy. It’s inside me all the time.”

      That sums up everything I was thinking of, too :) Wiser indeed! ;)

  23. What makes me happy?

    Well – The beauty of nature makes me smile

    The sky, sun, stars, trees, wind, water, geese flying over, all make me happy

    My daughter is full of joy and happiness she makes me happy.

    Sex makes me happy.

    Music makes me happy.

    When my son is Happy – that makes me Happy

    When my wife is happy – that makes me happy

    Family gatherings make me happy.

    Riding in a convertible makes me happy.

  24. What make me happy are:
    Spending time with my family and my children,
    Listening to the music and songs that i love
    Dancing on the music i love, and sometimes singing (when i’m alone)
    sitting infront of sea doing nothing but relaxing.
    Trying new things, especially these hand crafts,
    Reading inspiring books while relaxing, spend time in liberary and culture centers
    Drinking Nescafe with dark chocolate.
    And many of small simple things that can make my day…
    Drawing a smile on the face of anybody, helping others to see the world with better corners. and so on.

  25. Sailingawaytoday 14 years ago

    Money. Lots and Lots and Lots of it.

    If you get a cold the kind we all get at some and for some reason it gets a little worse. You go to the store get some cold medicine and maybe even some cough syrup, a box or two of tissues and your fine. But what happens if you don’t have the money for the cold medicine, the tissues become toilet paper. You have to suffer with the cold which becomes worse and worse, maybe it goes into phenomena, a lung becomes damaged. Your life becomes different perhaps worse than it was in the past. Money allows us to have more choices whether it is the schools we attend, the type of home we have, how much we are able to give to help others.

    Money allows us to build a playground in a neighborhood that does not have one and honor a parent or loved one by naming it after them. It allows us to send our children on trips to broaden their minds and influence their futures. It allows us to buy the TV we watch with our loved ones and buy warm clothes so our bodies are protected from the weather. Money allows us to make the choice to go to Florida or Hawaii in the dead of winter.

    I work with people in Hospice trying to help them have their last wish granted before they draw their last breath. The wishes are simple a trip to Disneyland with family, A last trip to a beloved island paradise one last time with family. A trip to visit family to say a final farewell. What stands between them and their last wish is not determination, not compassion, or effort, but the lack of funds to make that final wish come true.

    Money allows us more choices as to the type of care we can offer our elderly. If they are disabled the type of therapy they are able to receive or not receive impacts their lives.

    Sometimes we need to take time from our busy lives. To relax and breathe. We may need time to just find ourselves. Money offers the opportunity to take that time without worrying about how the rent will be paid, how much will the car cost to be fixed, will there be enough food for the week?

    I watched a loved one struggle with a debilitating illness for many years. Everyone around them and they did the very best they could under the difficult circumstances. Throughout the entire time in the back of my mind was the knowledge that there were/are specific treatments, opinions, ways of coping that were out of reach because of the cost. I try not to think about how different their life might have been if they could have afforded the very best care and medications available.

    I have a saying. You can get a cold in poverty or a cold in Beverly Hills, I choose Beverly Hills.

  26. Kingsley Besong 14 years ago

    :clap: I feel so happy when ever i am in the mist of people praising GOD.

  27. Seeing my family and people around me happy, makes me happy : )

    Cute babies and kids make me happy and smile…They really bring happiness….

  28. I feel happy about every new day, the weather, the people I meet.
    reading an email from friends, family
    watching a movie
    learning something new
    helping someone
    travel
    fashion
    shopping
    good music
    delicious food
    spending time with my best friends and family
    swimming
    playing team games
    taking a quiz
    reading a novel
    watching a comedy
    meditating
    designing and delivering training programmes for people of all ages
    I get all excited when I have a new idea or set a new challenging goal for myself
    I feel happiest when I have done everything on my checklist for the day

  29. What Makes You Happy?
    Many things make me happy….
    • Spending time with my family
    • Finishing a project
    • Creating extra ordinary designs
    • Listening Meaningful Hindi Songs
    • Reading Motivational Stuff
    • Achieving success
    • Logging in to Personal Excellence / Forum :)

    What makes you smile?
    Seeing children laughing make me smile. :)

    What do you look forward to doing the most?
    Obviously….my work.

    What do you love most about life?
    As I’m a self made man, so I love the feeling of being independent in life.

    What brings you happiness?
    My work….yes I’m passionate about my work and whenever I finish a project it brings me a lot of happiness. :)

    • Shannon L. Buck 14 years ago

      These are truly great. the feeling of accomplishment is great, as is having a passion. With no children at home, I was thankful this morning to have spent the night at my sisters. I was able to see her girls off to school, all smiles and joyful for the upcoming holiday. It was heartwarming.

  30. Woooh there are so many things that make me happy!!!
    I would like to list them, so that it’s easier for me to know exactly what makes me happy and how many things they are.

    1. Reading ur Blog Celes…tan da tan!!!

    2. Watching makeup and Haul videos online…lol is that weird?

    3. Reading Travel magazines.

    4. Making lists…any kinds grocery, tips, learning, things to do buy and all

    5. Seeing positive and inspiring images makes me happy

    6. Making exciting plans…

    7. Driving long distance and then halting for ice creams and momos on the way?!!!

    8. Cleaning up mess and clutter late at night when everyone around is sleeping gives a very calm soothing feel

    9.Singing classical hindi songs,it’s fun

    10. Eating chocolate browny with chocolate ice cream

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