Happiness is not expensive

I was standing in front of my house, preparing to leave, when I noticed the boy who lived in a small single room with his parents and two siblings. This family of five occupied a tiny space on a large plot of land. Whenever anyone from my family went out or someone visited our house, these children would stand at the plot's boundary and watch us. When I left that day, I saw the boy holding a broken mirror, trying to comb his hair with a big smile, as if he had discovered something amazing. I continuously stared at him, thinking how a broken mirror was enough to give a feeling of a newfound possession. But for that boy, it was something new and unique, a simple source of joy.

One night, I felt a similar realization when we stopped at a traffic signal, with the temperature around 6 degrees Celsius. In my hometown, many workers have built small huts around their work areas to avoid commuting and start work early. These workers often need more necessities like electricity, proper hygiene facilities, and sufficient clothing, as they are usually contracted with low daily wages. While waiting for the signal to change, I noticed a boy running toward one of the huts, wearing just a shirt with undone top three buttons. I initially thought how cold it must be for him to run around like that. I saw his father sitting by a small fire wrapped in a blanket a few blocks away. When the boy reached him, his father enveloped him in the blanket and handed him a piece of bread. That simple act brought a massive smile to the boy's face. They may not have had much, but they found happiness in each other in that chilly moment.

I noticed this sense of joy again during a visit to a temple. After offering my prayer, I distributed a few t-shirts to those in need. I wandered through some narrow streets looking for recipients. In the middle of one street, I spotted a woman sitting almost in the middle of the road beside a pile of garbage bags. Her face looked distorted, and she appeared to be an acid attack survivor. She seemed lost in her world, making strange faces at passersby. I approached her and handed her a t-shirt. That moment will stick with me for the rest of my life. She smiled with tears in her eyes, highlighting how much she had gone through in her life and how happy she was by feeling that someone had noticed her. I never felt that good in my life till that moment, honestly.

We keep chasing happiness in our lives, believing it will come when we get a big promotion, get married, or buy a car. However, if we dig deeper, it can be found in tiny events or with people around us who care about us. We must learn to identify and appreciate these moments, taking the time to enjoy them instead of endlessly pursuing an elusive notion of happiness defined by external standards. It's a matter of changing our lens.

Happiness is not costly; it is the most affordable victory we can achieve over our inner demons.