haha silly me

So, my good friend asked over dinner tonight whether or not I was happy. Well, I haven't really considered that since I have been stressing out about graduating, writing papers, etc...and in a way life is going in the path that I wish to take it, plus its ups and downs. So it got narrowed down to whether I was content or if I was actually happy, and I have to say I am quite content. Though, according to an Australian friend I met in Lithuania - who ran the youth hostel and was once head of one of the most prestigious hotelier schools in the world- he said to be very careful when he said he was satisfied with life- 6 months, his entire life went crumbling down.

And here is my friend, who asked me this question because he questioned it himself. Someone who was in an econ major, and I thought enjoyed what he did, suddenly question whether or not he wanted to be in that area. Someone who had a life back home waiting for him, and probably some sort of job worth six figures, but procrastinating on what's to come. I guess we are at the point where we start having our doubts.

I glanced back at some of the photos taken in China. There was one around friends that I looked especially happy in...and it was deeply ingrained into my memory. That night wasn't exactly unique, but somehow when I look at that photo, the smile on it doesn't seem to fade. Since then, I've had many happy memories where I have had the chance to go to Venezuela and meet up with one of my best friends, and go travel around and meet new people. However, I always go back to that photo, that night when those pictures were taken, and I distinctly remember it. There was just something that night, perhaps it was just me, where I remember it all.

If I compared my life to that single picture, then at this very moment typing this, I wouldn't be able to compare my amount of happiness to that very picture. However, life has been taking me on the road I want to head towards...my studies...my future...my career. So I cannot say that life is lacking, as I do have friends still around me...though a good portion of them are halfway around the world. But like I learned more than 4 years ago was that if you knock, the door of opportunities await, you just need to ask. And in this area, I have been a bit shy of knocking. But each time I have, I have never been awaited with a bad surprise...only happy ones that have helped me in life.

I would show this picture to you, but there is something so simple and happy about it that I just want to save that smile for myself. And maybe for a few others who have been there to enjoy it with me, I wonder if they saw that smile of mine that shined?