My Happy Place :)

 Recently I went on a trip via a business school I go to (Playtos Miniversity). It was three days, two nights stay in a village. It was a rural immersion. A beautiful experience. We went to Khanpur to talk to the people who lived there. The people were so hospitable and friendly and welcoming. It was a long day. Towards the end, I was sharing a packet of nutties with the kids there, and I had a little bit of a shift in perspective. 

I realized, that it is always a choice. We have everything we need, all kinds of luxuries. We have well-built houses, we go to good schools, the employment is better, the economical condition. Everything is so much better in so many ways. But at the end of the day, we're always rushing. We never stop. And look. Be happy for no apparent reason. 

When we look at underprivileged people, we pity them. I don't. I admire them, because they make the choice every single day, to not just exist but live. To be happy. We are so engrossed in our space, our work, our stuff that we never look around and get to know others. The people there knew everyone who lived in their village. It was community. A family. 

Sure walls make a house, but it is people that make a home. I always wondered where my happy place is. My mom says hers is in nature. A lot of people say that. Growing up, reading so many children's books, I always wanted a treehouse, cause it was a happy place for so many characters I loved. 

Today I realized, your happy place isn't something you look for outside, it's something you look for inside. It's a place within yourself. But to reach there you just have to be in the right environment with the right people. I was at the most beautiful place, with the most beautiful people, and honestly, because of them. People who I connect with, who I am comfortable enough to be weird around. They gimme my happy place :)

It's 2022. Everyone is thinking about new year's resolutions. I thought of so many, maybe start playing a sport, eat healthier, grade goals (or not), learn to cook (about time, but I'm still not doing it), and so on. But I realized we don't need a resolution. Aims and goals are cool, they really are, but sometimes just being, is what we need. Maybe just learning from these kids, whose faces lit up at the sight of that one piece of chocolate. You don't need to finish that self-help book, or lose 20 kgs or have chickpeas with sauteed vegetables on the side, no. If you want to, go for it. But at end of the day, we should have that little side of us who doesn't need to have a sports car or be Kendall Jenner for happiness, just a piece of chocolate. It's all about that one piece of chocolate, people.