Happy Places

Hello Dost log,

Now, this topic is quite kiddish. I know what you guys might be wondering. How can a writer, of a decent calibre, choose a topic which suits better to the kids of primary schools? Well, this topic is my tribute to my buddy, Dada. It was his idea of penning a book that was related to happy places. Before I move further, I would like to make a point clear. This topic and idea solely belongs to Dada. I have just tried to lay a foundation stone to build up his idea.

Coming to the Happy Places, what does it mean actually? If we actually try to figure out this concept, we can recall many things right from our childhood. When we hadn't even entered the world, our mother's womb was supposed to be our 'happy place'. It's because our sub conscious mind felt safe and secured. When we grew up and we never knew the actual world, our homes were known as 'happy places'. It's because we had mother and father to take care of us, we had grandparents who would entertain us with stories, we had siblings with whom we could play for the lifetime.

But, as the time unfurled, our 'happy places' kept expanding. It just got wider and better. Take an example, when we were kids, we hated going to schools and we were eager to go to colleges. We came to colleges and we were eager to work and earn money. We landed up doing our jobs, we earned money and we thought of getting settled with spouse and kids. The time passed away but still our lust for mental peace, happiness and satisfaction never died.

Many of us have been passing through this phase like every common man. Before going to school, our homes were our 'happy place' because it brought a smile on our faces, everytime we were entertained by our family members. Before entering college, our schools were 'happy place' because it reminded us of the fun days that we spent with our school friends and teachers. Time passed and we landed up settling in our jobs and business and our 'happy place' changed to college because that was where we learnt bunking lectures, sipping chai and coffee, munching dosas, taking 'pangas' with our rival mates. Next, we retire from work, settle with kids and at the eve of our lives we die to go back to the places where we first met our love, where we spent time during our courtship period. But one thing still remains constant, we still crave to visit our 'happy places' because our lust for smiling without worries simply doesn't get quenched.

Ever noticed why we call our favourite spots as 'happy places'? Simple hai yaara, it's because those are the places that free us from the negativity present in our lives. Those are the places that make us forget our current hectic lives. It's very simple to recollect our 'happy places', just make a list of your favourite hangouts where you visited often but at present you are craving to go back. One of my happy places are the CCDs that I used to visit during my college days. I could spend hours out there, sipping loads of cups of my favourite black coffee and pen down something worth reading. The other happy place that I can recollect is the stairs near the college. It's the place where we could kill our time from boredom, sing songs, gossip about affairs of peers. One of my favourite happy place is the Chowpatty beach. It gives me a sense of setting my tired spirit free.

Life is too small to move forward without smiling. So what are you guys waiting for? Have you realised your 'Happy Places'?