I would travel miles, explore the world, and even check out what’s beyond the universe. I would probably buy a ticket to the moon, I would swim across the oceans, take a flight and go above the clouds. What won’t I do to find happiness in life? But only if I was sure that’s where happiness lies.
What’s the point of wanting to conquer the whole world when even a handful is enough for me. I may get excited about big things. It may give me a thrilling feeling, my heartbeat may get faster, and I may feel like I am over the moon, but the point is for how long? One day, one month, one year, that’s it. And will it all be worth it? What’s so great about achieving bigger things in life when they don’t even promise a lifetime of prosperity?
Happiness can’t be measured by how much you have in life but rather by how contented you are with whatever you have. There is no such thing as a large amount of happiness. In life, small things matter. Day-to-day activities that often go unnoticed are the biggest source of happiness only if we acknowledge them. Like walking on the same road every day to school, or the small plant that you see growing in your garden, or the pink flowers on one side of the road where you stop for a while to pluck out a flower no matter how late you are getting, or wave at the shopkeeper who keeps waiting for people so that he can say hello, or going out in rain to get drenched even if you catch a cold afterwards. The sound of the birds, the setting of the sun, the gentle ocean waves, the awkward encounters with strangers, the small trips to nowhere, the meaningless dreams, the late-night movies, good books, poems, and old stories of how things used to be by our elders, the chilling cold waves during winter and even the hot rays of the sun during summer, everything in life is important. The small feelings and useless activities shape us.
It’s not wrong to desire, it’s only normal to wish to hold importance in everyone’s life. It’s normal to wish to be a person with an aim, to chase dreams, to do something big in life. But I hope while we are busy chasing bigger things, we will at least not forget to live. I hope we won’t compromise our happiness. I hope we keep reminding ourselves how important small things in life are.
Recently I came across this beautiful quote, “something as small as a flutter of a butterfly’s wing can cause a typhoon”. It’s scientifically called the butterfly effect (let’s not go there or I’ll mess it up). This quote has a vast meaning that I can’t describe but it certainly shows the importance of small things, small events in life. It says that even the tiniest things can have a huge influence on who we will become in life.
So, let’s keep it short and simple. Acknowledge little things in life, things that you do on daily basis. Our hunt will never end, and we will never stop asking for more, but let’s not forget to embrace what we already have.
You never know, a small effort, a small feeling or even a small insect can change your outlook on life. The flapping of a butterfly’s wing, the buzzing of the bees, or even a small ant can influence you. You can find your muse in anything. It’s easy to be happy after all, it doesn’t cost much. Happiness is just a step away and you just need to take that step.

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SHAFIYA SHOWKAT