Happyness :-)

How ADORABLE is this kid?! MashAllah, may Allah (swt) allow the glowing light in his eyes to burn brighter with happiness with every day that passes by inshAllah!

He has such a beautiful sincerity in his eyes, a sincerity that so deeply communicates the simplicity, purity, and innocence of his happiness.

Seeing such a powerful picture like this got me thinking. It is the most natural and human feeling to long for happiness in one's life. Though happiness has many general elements that may apply to all human beings (faith, health, love, peace, family, friends, freedom, liberty, respect, etc.), some of the most precious elements of happiness are those that are purely subjective.

What is happiness to me? In all honesty, when someone is trying to fill a void or a gaping hole of emptiness in their life, they often mistake every simple, fulfilling act as the key to their happiness. For me, the last two years have been full of such unhealthy behaviors. The biggest one that comes to mind is shopping: I have experienced a very unhealthy attachment to the act of shopping. I have always loved the art of dressing oneself to portray her personality, character and presence, but that's a good thing only when practiced in moderation. Under the illusion that shopping gave me the happiness I was missing in my life, I began spending thousands of dollars per month on the most trivial and unnecessary (now I realize this) things when living temporarily in New York in 2007. Sickeningly, the rush of accumulating things (clothes, shoes, etc.) gave me some sort of validation that I so desperately believed I needed. It's taken many months of anguish to curb this addiction and bring myself back to a point of moderation, but I'm here! All praises be to Allah (swt), now I realize fully how stupid it was to think that accumulating material things could actually bring someone true happiness. Hah! It sounds so stupid now that I write all of this, but it is the raw, honest truth.

This experience of mine has helped make trivial elements of life quite clear to me. I now fully understand the difference between temporary satisfaction and genuine, blessed bliss. Though I have yet to identify and define true happiness personally (the definition of one's happiness is very fluid, changing as the chapters of life evolve), I know that I am on a path towards it, inshAllah.

During the past few cool, breezy summer days, I have found myself spending more time outdoors-absorbing the purity and perfection of God's nature. One can almost feel the presence of Allah when surrounded solely by his unblemished creations! So, for now, I can confidently say that my path to happiness is definitely surrounded by flowers, trees, and blue skies :-) (and maybe a nice dress or two? ;-) absolutely not!)