How the simplest of things bring happiness…

The other day, I was browsing the newspaper early in the morning, and an article caught my sleepy eye, and drove whatever meager amount of indolence was left in it- it was an article about a guy named Ludwick Hubbler. Ludwick is a French citizen, who graduated when he was 22 years old. After doing so, he took a step many of us wouldn’t dare to- he started a trek. But this wasn’t like any other ordinary trek- he stepped out to trek the entire globe! 5 years down, and this voyage isn’t yet done: American continent, the icy Antarctica, the rugged topography of middle east, and currently discovering new cultures in the Indian subcontinent; Hubbler has been through such moments that are way beyond one’s imagination. One of the most exciting journeys described by him was rowing across the gigantic Pacific Ocean. Alone. Imagine something as fragile as a row boat spanning miles after miles of merciless rough waters of the Pacific. To top it, his boat hit an isle of rocks while he was in the depth of the Ocean, and he had almost lost hope during this moment. Anyone could, it was the worst nightmare in your life darkly coming true. However, he fortunately lived to tell us this fascinating tale. At other times, he has eaten reptile meat, traveled on camels, slept under the open blanket of the heavens, and asked for countless number of hitchhikes on his way to intermediate destinations. And he just declared that he finds himself as the happiest person on earth, with plans of returning back to his native land early next year.

Today morning, I was on my way to pick up some commodities for a nice lazy Sunday breakfast. I took a shorter way through a by-lane, and as I was passing by, suddenly the most pleasant and soothing tunes lured me to this man in his middle forties. He was sitting on the footsteps of some shop, and rhyme after rhyme of beautiful music was spilling out of his guitar. I was awestruck by the splendor of it, and almost forgot what I originally came there for. It was only with a heavy heart that I left him a few moments later, but this fellow has made my day. And he was doing it for the pure ecstasy of giving joy to others through his simple instrument, and the deep pool of talent which he possessed.

Only yesterday, a good friend of mine, Siji; wrote a testimonial for me on a social networking site. She was disappointed because she couldn’t upload the whole piece; there was a character limit on it. But the 1024 characters which she chose to express have exploded a surge of joy, contentment and hope in my life. And it’s a different kind of happiness- something I could have never experienced by possessing worldly pleasures.

These are but three small narratives of happiness, that I had to share with you today. What do you make of it, now? Isn’t true, everlasting happiness something you gain out of such simple things? At least I have begun to believe so…. And so the pursuit continues….