Happy

The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.

- Allan K. Chalmers

     If someone could see my soul and paint a picture of it as it appears at this moment, it would be luminous and brilliantly white, with arms outstretched towards the heavens in jubilant exultation.  I am so blissfully happy.  That’s not to say that I don’t have my share of worries or fears.  But then, happiness is always a matter of choice.  And at this moment, and for all my tomorrows from here on I hope, I would shove all those worries and fears back to the farthest, darkest corner of my heart and simply wrap myself up with the crystal-clear joy that I’m feeling.

     I’ve come across the above-mentioned quote by Allan K. Chalmers and I guess what he said does contain a grain of truth.  Happiness doesn’t have to come from a complex set of circumstances.  Sometimes, the simplest and most subtle things can be the source of great joy.

     Something to do…  sharing myself and what I know.  I have always loved to acquire knowledge and to consequently share it with others.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a voracious reader.  My appetite for the written word has always been hearty, and my appetite for life’s lessons, especially those learned from kindred souls, has always been insatiable.  I have always had a passion for teaching; from being a peer group facilitator, SPED tutor, volunteer catechist, and finally, a language coach and full-fledged sensei.  Sharing what I know has always given me a warm glow of satisfaction.  My students multiply my joys, as their little triumphs and achievements mean so much to me.  Along with sharing knowledge is the profound sharing of self that I find so fulfilling.  I have always dreamed of reaching out and touching lives, even in the simplest of ways, and teaching allows me to do that.  Teaching is something I love to do.  And now I know that this is something I would like to pursue in my career path.

     Someone to love… James; my mentor, my twinflame, my best friend, my angel.  I’ve just finished talking to him a while ago.  And as always, hearing his voice is such a soothing balm to my heart and my soul.  He does so many things to make me feel proud and blessed.  With him, I always have the reassurance deep in my heart that I am loved.  He is my constant, and although we’ve had our share of challenges and melancholic moments, I know with a firm conviction that there is no other person in whose arms I am meant to be.  Ours is a love that bloomed through friendship, nurtured through time, perfected through pain, and found through the omniscient ministrations of the Lord.

     Something to hope for… coming home.  I was talking to my friend Paul this morning and something he said made me realize that I will be coming home in eighteen days.  I could hardly believe that the day I have been hoping for is almost within reach.  It has almost been a year since I first arrived in Japan.  A year fraught with learnings and tears, yet fruitful and much-blessed as well.  I am so looking forward to being with my family and friends again.  And I am so looking forward to finally being with James.  And the best part is, I know that when the day I’m hoping for finally comes eighteen days from now, there will spring forth so many new hopes for all my tomorrows and everydays.  And this time, I wouldn’t be reaching towards those hopes alone.  I would have someone gently holding my hand while we weave more hopes and dreams together, surrounded and supported by family and friends who care for us almost as much as we care for each other.

     I am happy.  I have so many reasons to be.