Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy

I have to say I really do love this weeks photo challenge. Happiness is such an important part of life, something that, due to life, we often forget to embrace. As well as photos this week I have decided to share a story with you about a moment that changed my outlook on life and on happiness.  I hope you enjoy!

Happiness is something that we all strive to achieve but sometimes, due to circumstances, fail to obtain. I´ve had my fair share of moments, like everyone, where life has thrown some curveballs in my way but, what I have learnt from these moments is, it´s not the events themselves that define your happiness, or unhappiness for that matter, but rather how you approach them.

A memory that always stays with me when it comes to happiness and what defines it is one from my university days. During my time in university I was lucky enough to volunteer as a teaching assistant in a programme working with special needs adults. The idea behind the programme was to teach these adults both basic english and other skills they need for day-to-day life.

The task set one morning was quite a simple one; to describe how a number of pictures made you feel. After a few pictures we came to a picture of a sunset in a forest with a deer at the forefront, nothing special –  or so I thought at the time as I was having a particularly selfish day that day, too consumed with my “student” problems to notice anything about it . That was until it was one of the students, who was severally disabled, turn to share how this picture made him feel. With a huge smile on his face, which I will never forget, he typed into his computer “It makes me feel happy to be alive”. Wow, I was instantly moved my this. I had so much insignificant stuff going on in my head that I hadn´t taken the time to appreciate the beauty of the picture. Yet, here was this man fighting a daily battle with disability who, despite his troubles,  he was able to find the joy in the most simplest of things.

I think that this moment was one of the most influential moments on my life. It taught me that happiness is all around you, you just need to open your eyes to see it. No matter what your problems are, whether they are short-term problems like deadlines to be met or long-term ones like illness, take the time to smile. I have been lucky enough to learn this lesson from three incredible people, this man who found joy in such a simple picture, my uncle who has been battling illness on a daily basis for six years and P who has braved his illness and never once let it stop him from smiling.

To me the definition of happiness is the ability to see past your problems and still find something positive in your day, something worth smiling about, something worth living for!

Remember: everyone has difficult periods in their lives but it doesn´t mean that you can´t find happiness hidden behind even the darkest of moments. Happiness is in your hands so embrace it!

So here are a few things that make me smile on a daily basis; no matter how big or small my problems may be: my friends, my family, butterflies, flowers and sunshine. I hope you enjoy them and that they may bring a smile to your face!

So that´s it, for now anyway! Hope you enjoyed my interpretation of this weeks theme. Sorry I have been absent for two weeks I was making my way back to Córdoba and settling back into work, I shall be back to normal again soon so thank you for your patience!

To see what other bloggers have come up with for this weeks challenge click here.

What did you think of this weeks theme? Did you have fun with it?

As always, thank you for reading,

Until the next time,

Giana

xoxo