Where is your Bluebird of Happiness?

MANILA, Philippines - The not-so-long Lenten break has long ended and after doing a bit of reflection myself, I am back to the office with my colleagues/friends. I saw my friends at Trumpets, who are also back to their daily grind, excitedly preparing for their big musical comeback — a brand-new adaptation of a classic tale called The Bluebird of Happiness.

Happiness. It’s what we all long for. It’s what we dream about. Sadly, we sometimes also take it for granted. We go to great lengths just to find happiness but sometimes we all fail because we lose sight of what we were looking for in the first place. Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck wrote in his play The Blue Bird: “There are many more Happinesses on Earth than people think; but the generality of men do not discover them…”

What is happiness really, and how do we find it? I asked some of my talents and friends in the industry to know their thoughts on the subject, and if they’ve already found what gives them true happiness. Here are their inspiring answers.

Christian Bautista — “Happiness is a state where whether things are going right or wrong, you are content, secure and at peace. What makes me happy is, knowing that love never fails no matter what.”

Jamie Rivera — “Happiness is being able to make other people happy, too. I found true happiness by being with my family through rough and good times. Aside from my family, laughter and tears from my audience make me happy.”

Jay-R — “The music in my life is happiness to me. Making my family happy makes me happy. Basketball, my piano, my studio, my gift of music, my job, the people I surround myself with, sushi, the beach, are just a few of what makes me happy.”

Karylle — “Happiness is a decision. At any given moment, there are always more than 10 things to be happy about and to be thankful for. The question is, are you recognizing these wonderful things or do you only see things that you would like to rant about? I’ve decided to be happy, and I see it and live it every moment of my life. Even the little things make me happy. Recently, it was kayaking in Subic. It was so serene and beautiful.”

Kuh Ledesma — “Happiness to me is a day I find people who want to give their lives to Jesus.”

Nanette Inventor — “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. A continuous creative activity makes me happy. True happiness comes from within yourself...not from someone else. Don’t make the mistake of waiting on someone or something to come along to make you happy. I am single, blessed and happy.”

Ogie Alcasid — “Happiness is being with family and friends. I have found true happiness when I started following Christ. I am happy when I see other people happy, most especially the ones dear to me but the little things like the sky, food, music and books make me happy, too.”

Pops Fernandez — “Happiness is a state of mind. You can choose to be happy even during the trying times because you know that everything happens for a reason and it’s always for the best. Simple things make me happy because I want to appreciate everything that comes my way.”

Sam Concepcion — “Happiness is being able to do what you love, being passionate about it and having the liberty to be yourself. My family is well and happy, I got a good set of friends, and I’m doing well with work. I got everything I need. Life itself makes me happy. I’m able to live comfortably, I get to do what I love, and I just feel blessed.”

Sweet Plantado — “Happiness is loving without conditions. It’s giving without expecting. Happiness is family. Giving and loving as much as I can makes me happy! Okay, shopping for shoes and bags, too!

Tippy Dos Santos — “Happiness is true contentment and being at peace with the life you’re living. I do think that I have found true happiness because I wake up every morning looking forward to whatever the day has to offer me. I look forward to each day because I am at peace with myself and the things going on around me. I’ve learned to appreciate even the little things. My main source of happiness is my family and my friends who shower me with so much love.”

The definition and manifestation of happiness are different for every individual. I also asked myself what happiness means to me and I surprisingly had a difficult time answering; but it made me realize that sometimes, we don’t have to go far to find it. We just have to look in the right places to see that it’s just close by and waiting for you to take hold and enjoy.

(Trumpets’ The Bluebird of Happiness is available for sponsorship and block-buying opportunities. For details, call 901-4364 or visit the official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BluebirdbyTrumpets).