Happy Happiness Day !
The International Day of Happiness (known as Happiness Day) is celebrated throughout the world on the 20th of March. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly on June 28, 2012. The International Day of Happiness recognizes the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings.Dr. John Helliwell, UBC Professor Emeritus and a Reading Bear Society Advisory Board member shares his research and the 6 factors that affect our happiness in this Tedx Video.The following story is from a Reading Bear participant who found happiness through sharing with buddy reading:Visiting My Buddy Brings Me HappinessI am a 16 year old student and I would say that I am generally a happy person. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines happiness as: An agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind; the possession of those circumstances or that state of being which is attended with enjoyment; the state of being happy; contentment; joyful satisfaction; felicity; blessedness.In this sense, I guess that I am happy because all of my basic needs are met, I have good friends at school and I am actively engaged in pursuing a goal ( to graduate from high school). However, I feel that happiness is not just feeling lucky or having good fortune ..... i.e.,"having a lot of things" but more than that. It is a feeling that somehow you have a purpose in life, that the people and places you see are better off from knowing you. On my birthday, my BFF wrote in a card that she looks for me in the halls and when she sees me I can make her go from ???? to ???? Now that really makes me happy.Another experience was when a group of my classmates and friends went to visit Admiral Seymour school just before Valentine's Day. The kids were so eager to peek into the Reading Bear gift bag (filled with storybooks, valentines and a bear) that they could barely sit still while the teacher was introducing us. We paired up with kids and they were smiling and were so excited about our visit. We were reading and visiting with them and at the end of it my little girl gave me a hand made valentine and a great big hug! It really made my day! It is a great thing to be happy but it is a greater thing to share happiness with others. If you would like to find happiness through buddy reading please visit our volunteer page for more information.