Lesson 2: Enjoying the happiness of others…

They say happiness cures everything, but I really didn’t realize it til today.

Have you ever had a morning where you just didn’t want to get out of bed, felt completely sick to your stomach and still decided to "buck up" and go to work?

Well, that was the case for me today, but it all changed in mere minutes.

When I was in India, my great aunt told me something that I never thought I would really see come to fruition. She said, “everyone can be cured by true happiness, when you are ill, depressed etc. Spending just minutes with someone who is whole-heartedly happy can affect you.”

My sleepless night, along with a horrible morning where I had to face one disaster after another all seemed to change during a simple dining experience. But it wasn’t the food that made me smile and forget. It was the energy of those on the other side of the table. It was my company. Two people who carried with them, in their back pocket a secret weapon, pure joy.

Allowing yourself to feel happiness in your heart and in the hearts of others is important. Knowing that those you love are happy can cure anything and remind you of what is really important.

My horrible morning turned into an afternoon that filled my heart.

Lesson 1: Value of Friendship

There are so many things that I didn’t realize until I went to India and completely disconnected from my own reality.

I realized how much my friends mean to me, I mean my real friends -- not the coasters that come and go. Those who have witness me at the highest points and lowest points in my life thus far. Those who choose to be present in their lives as well as in my own.

Dictionary defines a friend as: a person you know well and regard with affection and trust.

My definition: a person you know well, communicate with and regard them with the highest esteem, loving them and trusting them unconditionally. Some that understand how to reciprocate in their own way.

Unfortunately, not too many people know how to fulfill this definition.

But it has taken me an extremely long time to figure out who my REAL friends are and who genuinely want to see me happy as much as I want to see them happy. Not everyone is truly happy for others and they don’t realize how negatively it can impact them and others.

So to the few in my life who deserve the title of FRIEND I say this:

Thank you for everything and anything you have done for me.
Thank you for being there when I wanted to have fun.
Thank you for being there when I was falling a part and almost done.

My words and actions will never really be able to demonstrate how much you have impacted my life and my heart. The world brought you in my life to remind me of what I valued. The moments we have spent just doing nothing or working away have been etched into my heart and will forever live on with our countless memories. You have reminded me of my strengths and purpose; reminding me never to change who I am because of my impact on you.

For all of this isn’t enough…but is the tipping point for many more moments of expression to how much I value my friend.