RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS

Today I am going to prepare happiness for you. You know—the kind of happiness everybody dreams about. That unforgettable happiness. That overwhelming, deep happiness after which you are never the same. The happiness we read about in books, watch in films and hear about in other people's stories. The kind of happiness that lasts for only a few minutes. I am going to prepare for you that rare and difficult-to-achieve happiness, when we once again become one with the stars above us, just as we were in the beginning.

Have you ever been happy this way?

Today I am going to prepare happiness for you. It is a joy to blend with the vibrations of the cosmos, when everything within you trembles in harmony like the music of a magical flute. I only have to find the right ingredients for such happiness. The cosmos lives within us, but why is it so difficult to reach its vastness and power? That is what I need—power and greatness, so that I do not lose myself among the little pebbles of everyday life.

I promise to be happy for one whole day. I promise to be carefree. I will leave my sorrow behind. I will forget my pain because these ingredients can change the recipe for happiness. I want to show you that there is a part of me capable of setting aside melancholy and the constant desire to search for meaning. Because I do not have much experience of lasting happiness, I will have to dig for a long time through old, dusty cookbooks that contain recipes for every kind of human condition. I believe your recipe will be different from mine, but I suppose the difference will lie mainly in the amount of each ingredient.

And now I begin to prepare my happiness.

I add a little recklessness and a little forgetfulness so that my mind will not analyse everything and spoil the recipe.

I add a little courage. It is so necessary and yet so scarce. Because you need courage to survive a whole day of breathtaking happiness without the slightest feeling of guilt that someone else may be hungry for happiness. It takes courage to take the first step. It takes courage to be the first.

I will forget about tomorrow. I will add more of the here and now.

I will add a pinch of love. Because what are we if our hearts are not waiting for someone? Is that not what love is? To wait for someone and to know that someone is waiting for you. To be deeply embraced in another person's heart—that is the greatest privilege and the highest compliment.

I will add some warmth to melt the ice when, on a cold morning, you leave me. Because there comes a moment when everyone must leave in order to be alone with themselves and their Creator.

I will add a pinch of humanity because I must know how to save you when life reveals its harsh face and you are left alone and defenceless. Then I will need great kindness in order to save you. Because that, too, is happiness. That, too, is sharing.

I will add an extra measure of generosity. For if I keep all the treasures of my heart only for myself, what is the point of their existence? The treasures of the heart are meant to be given away, every moment and with both hands. Because somewhere, someone longs to be appreciated and forgiven. And that someone could be us. Because mercy is in our hands.

I will add a generous portion of laughter to welcome every new day with joy. Let the laughter of our hearts light the paths of life when darkness seems to take over everything.

I will add a great deal of nobility so that, in difficult times, the desire for revenge cannot take possession of our souls. Nobility is what lifts us higher.

I will add a whole bundle of freedom because only when you are imprisoned by limitations, prejudices and fear do you truly understand how precious it is to spread your wings and fly whenever and wherever you wish. Freedom is what gives meaning to every effort.

I will add a pinch of gratitude because it reveals how noble and how civilised our hearts have become. Gratitude is like a healing balm for the temple of the heart, keeping it gentle and full of light.

I will add a handful of tenderness. Tenderness is my care for you. It is what makes me want to perform miracles for you. Tenderness is like an embrace without touch, like a declaration of love without words.

I will also add to the recipe a deep connection with nature, receiving with an open heart and soul the warmth of every living being, and giving the riches of the heart to everything around you. This is the moment when you merge with the life surrounding you and become part of something greater than yourself.

I will add a pinch of dreams and longings because our happiness is the result of our brave dreams and daring longings. Very often, the world of dreams is more real and more merciful than the harsh reality around us.

I will add just a little sadness. No, sadness will not drive happiness away. During moments of happiness, sadness reminds us who we are, how long we have travelled to reach this moment and what price we have paid for it. Sadness keeps us from becoming selfish and helps us remember the road that led us to our happiness.

And finally, last but not least, I will sprinkle all the ingredients with a clear conscience. Because a clear conscience is what keeps our dreams bright and peaceful. A clear conscience means having nothing to be ashamed of before yourself. A clear conscience is the foundation of our relationship with God.

Have you ever been happy this way?

(Elena S. Lyubenova)