Are you happy?

Happiness is A Choice.

How I learned from my maid’s daughter.

Last year during the summer days, my maid Tara brought her ten-year-old daughter along with her to my house. I asked Tara, why she brought her daughter along with her while walking two kilometers in the scorching heat. She told me that her three siblings fight at home, so she brings her daughter along with her.

For two days, Aa Feen sat silently in the backyard, watching videos and playing games, which didn’t seem right to me. I called her and asked her about her studies. Her content and smiling face were the most adorable things. I made a deal with her that if she studied regularly during holidays, I would give her a gift, to which she happily agreed.

I decided to teach English and Mathematics for two hours every day while her mother worked for me. During our sessions, I would teach her for half an hour and then let her practice for the next half an hour.

In between, she shared her stories with me and was curious about every gadget in the house. At first, she was shy, but later she became more comfortable and started exploring the house, from the water purifier to Alexa, silently.

My husband and son teased me, saying: "Your student is getting more liberated." I just smiled and continued with my work. Sometimes, when I was busy with kitchen work, I handed her an encyclopedia to explore, which she enjoyed.

As the days went by, her curiosity grew, and she became more interested in learning. During that time, I was reading the book "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind" by Joseph Murphy. I thought of her as my first research subject and applied to her.

I asked her, what do you want to become when you grow up?

She replied

“English teacher, I like to become a maths teacher, but mathematics is very difficult for me”. I said “If you want to become an English teacher, daily read as much English as you can, but before going to bed you have to say to yourself, I will be a good English teacher when I grow up”.

She nodded her head smilingly.

She reported daily to me that she confirmed herself before bed. Despite occasional forgetfulness, she was always honest. As time passed, she opened up about her life at school.

One day, while studying a lesson on the school’s annual day, she started narrating her own school’s annual day. According to her, each class was given a specific color to wear for the day, and her class was assigned the color pink.

Aafeen said, " Aunty, we are wealthy. I had everything, even the pink dress with accessories. On the other hand, my friend was poor and couldn’t afford many things. I helped her many times. She wore a red dress on the annual day, and our teacher also encouraged us to wear her color”.

The way she spoke about her wealth left me speechless. Despite being an orphan and a working mother who only had access to food provided by her employers, she spoke happily about her blessings.

She taught me a valuable lesson that I will carry with me for the rest of my life - that true happiness does not come from material wealth, but from a positive state of mind. Her story changed my perspective on people and life.

To achieve happiness, it’s crucial to be content with what you have.

Accepting your circumstances is the key to finding contentment and ultimately, happiness.

The little girl taught me a valuable life lesson that couldn’t be found in any book or school.

The end of the summer holidays was just around the corner, and I knew exactly what I had to do. I decided to surprise her with a brand-new school bag, and the look on her face was simply priceless!

It was a small gesture, but the satisfaction I felt from helping her in my little way was immeasurable.

Key Message

The innocence of children imparts valuable lessons that undoubtedly enrich our lives.