This past weekend, I visited my best friend after not seeing her for over a month, due to her being in India for a service trip. While visiting her, she told me about all she did while there and the biodigestor she helped make for a K-8 school. One of the things she said that stuck out to me the most was how happy she said everyone she met was. The kids always had smiles on their faces and were ecstatic to get any sort of attention or learn from her. This really got me thinking about how polluted our society is today with sadness, anger, and jealousy.
We place too much emphasis on material goods and envy our neighbor that has more than we do. The kids in India had nothing; they were the poorest of the poor, yet they were extremely happy.
Our ideas of happiness are so backwards; no longer do we call our friends on the phone to chat, we send them a text message without even the courtesy to spell out full words. No longer do we celebrate the achievement our peers, we distance ourselves in jealousy. No longer do we sit down for family meals to discuss our days and have that intimate hour our souls need so dearly, we grab food on the go and lock ourselves in our rooms, surfing the web.
So this is me challenging you and myself to change that.
Spend more time talking
I walk around the dining hall seeing tables of four, five, or six people all with their heads buried in their phones, oblivious to the world around them moving by far too quickly. Put down your phone at dinner and talk. That's the beauty of college: there's a designated place to go sit down and eat with friends, so take advantage and talk. The other day my friends and I discussed books over breakfast and you know what? It was one of the most enjoyable breakfasts I've had all year. We don't realize it, but as humans, we crave to talk and be heard. We crave to express our opinions and have them be appreciated.
Spend more time laughing
I'm a strong believer in the idea that laughing makes you live longer. One of my favorite moments in life is the moment after you've laughed until you cried. Your body relaxes and you're overcome with just a wave of happiness. I love when you can tell someone is happy because you can hear their laugh sneaking out when they talk, or they can barely retell a story because they're laughing just remembering it. Laughter is the cure for a bad day. Don't believe me? Come sit at the swimmer table, and you'll be laughing and feeling better in no time.
Smile more
Do you know the power of a smile? Have you ever walked across campus and someone you have no clue who they are smiles at you? Well, I have and I can tell you that it instantly brightens my day. Before every race I've ever done, swimming or running, my mom told me to take a few deep breaths and then smile. Smiling has a calming affect on the body -- and it also freaks out/throws off your opponents.
Put less emphasis on things, and more on each other
It's sad how shocked people are sometimes when you do a simple little nice thing for them. I'm guilty of this feeling. When I first came to Bonas, for example, I was so blown away by how everyone held the door open for you. Such a small act of kindness, but yet it was so substantial to me. When I was a junior in high school, a senior boy bought a flower for every girl in his grade and handed them out on Valentine's Day. Not only was that kid a genius, such a simple task, I guarantee, it made every senior girl's day, whether they want to admit it or not. We measure happiness by how much we have. One way we should be measuring happiness is by how much what we do have MEANS to us. I have amazing friends and family, my team, and I'm absolutely filled with happiness. That's all you need.
Spend some time with kids
Just sit down with a group of kids and try to remember what it was like to be that little. You didn't worry about who was texting you, or how you had to go to work later. You lived in the here and now. We were always playing and pretending, and we didn't care that we looked ridiculous running around the playground pretending we were riding dragons. We told our parents we loved them every night as they tucked us into bed. We ate dinner with them because we didn't know how to cut our own food. Earlier this year the team went to the local elementary school to make gingerbread houses with the kindergartners. It's near impossible to be around happy, little kids and not be happy. It's contagious. They're eager to learn and grow up to be "just like you." We have no idea how much every single one of us influences the younger generation. In the supermarket around town, they're always watching us and repeating what they see. If all they see is a bunch of grumps, what kind of a world will we influence?
Why be sad? Why mope around? It's not going to get you anywhere or anything. Smile. Laugh. Dance. Create. Influence.
If you would like to donate to the school my best friend, Coco, worked at, you can donate here.
You can also buy handmade crafts by the children. Half of the proceeds go to a college fund for the young artist.
