If You're Happy and You Know it... Why?

This is the time of year where the temperatures start dropping and hearts start warming up. There’s a magic in the air, whether it’s from holidays impending or just knowing that we the students (and professors!) are so close to the end of the semester and Winter Break! However, is it actually from knowing that we’re so close to a fresh start (Here’s looking at you, spring semester 2014!)? What makes us happy? 

Look at these happily levitating students! (ok, ok, they're jumping..)

Let’s take a look at the first paragraph. I didn't even mention Thanksgiving. I was getting crazy ahead of myself, and I did that to prove a point. It’s so easy to get bogged down and overwhelmed in the grind of school that one can overlook such a detail. It’s not that Thanksgiving isn't an important holiday. It’s just from a student break standpoint, we get three days off and then have to stress about finals once we return. While we are with our family, that stress is still with us.

Jake Gyllenhaal can't handle this Snapchat right now

Even still, enjoy that time you do have with them and as much as it probably hurts, disconnect from your electronic life. I know someone who actually had this problem with a relative of hers before she moved out. She loves her cell phone and her dad wished she would put it away. She forgot how annoying it was; she would go back to visit and her mother was like she is a middle aged teenager. Isn't that the premise of a movie? If it’s not, it should be. No matter how important and life altering “snapchat”-ting (what is that?) Becky’s outfit for her date with Josh may be, your family will definitely not agree. 

Where are you in this picture?

So what is happiness? Is happiness a perpetually full jar of nutella? Or is happiness getting your degree and making lots of money always and forever? A wise person once said “to each his own”, but to me- there’s one quote in particular that struck a chord with me: “true happiness is helping others grow and flourish.” I get happiness when I’m lifting other people up. Everybody is a different kind of flower and that is the beautiful part of this garden. Some people may not even be flowers at all! Some may be farmers (figuratively) and others may be trees! There is nothing wrong with that. There is a place for everyone.