A couple of weeks back when Vidya tagged me in the Eight Photos of Happiness bloghop I was excited and a little unnerved. How was I going to select photos? Happiness was the theme but how would I implement it?

While all the confusion arose, along with it was anticipation, I found myself looking forward to digging the archives. It’s been years since I trolled through the photos I had taken and there were many since I love taking photos.

Unsure, I started scrolling through photos and at some point I knew. These are the 8 I selected, 8 images that spoke to me, and caused spikes of joy.

1. This is my all time favourite family photo. Photography was an expensive thing back in the day and so each frame was precious. I don’t remember who shot this frame and how we went about it but that round-round thing and the rest of the whole thing comes together, for me so nicely.

2. I had been to Nepal when in school so technically my trip to UK wasn’t my first foreign trip. But considering the difference between India and UK in terms of – culture, climate, terrain, life, people – this was the first time I experienced something Not-Indian. And I’m glad it was UK for it was a sensory overload. I choose this photo because I remember having such a thrill trying all those hats and posing for this photo.

3. At 23 I moved out of my mothers house and set up my own little pad. For the first time I experienced silences, the quiet of a house. I felt and got to know space, and I got to know myself and became comfortable with being by myself. I learned to value all my mother had done for me, now that I was doing it myself. 😀 That bed wasn’t just a bed, it was where I lived, everything I loved within reach and lots of place to roll!!

4. When I started out in a call centre job I hadn’t thought I would make friends along the way who would be so much fun. That they would become so much a part of my life outside of work. This photo is from a most memorable holi colour war.

5. Musafir, she sang the song of my soul, she took me places as we journeyed together. I travelled over 15,000 kilometres on my trusty RX100 and each kilometre is packed with memories. This is a picture of the bike when I set out on my first ever ride outside the state and across the country.

6. That first ride was to Kutch and across the Little Rann of Kutch. It was a ride that set me on a road I travelled for a while, it confirmed my love for travel, reinforced the thrill of feeling a bike between my legs and unleashed the biker within. This is my first ever selfie with the Rann in the background. That place taught me my place in the universe, it’s minuscule!

7. This is one of the few pictures of me from my travels. Taken by a friend the photo brings back many memories of the friends I’ve made on my travels. Each of them has added so much to the story of my journey and are still adding. 🙂

8. I have always thought of myself as a rugged person, beautiful on the inside but plain on the outside. Then this happened… A stylist and make-up artist weaved magic and I got to be Cinderella for an hour. This photo was taken for a UK Fashion Magazine.

And because I miscalculated and have one more photo left that I just can’t not share. There is a 9th.

9. Within weeks of arriving this guy became a fixture in my life in Spiti. I could tell the time by him. At 2pm on the dot he would make an appearance, he’d lounge about for a while and would’t leave until he had gotten some biscuits. (Friends in Spiti says the tradition still continues.) We connected, we connected in a way I don’t understand.

Oh, so thats my pick of photos. Moments, people, things, and experiences, those memories that bring me happiness.

Big thanks Vidya for tagging me. This was been so much fun!
Vidya is one dynamic lady who brings out the smile in you. You just can’t stop smiling when she’s around. Please do stop by her blog Vidya Sury – going a-musing, collecting smiles.

Here are the guidelines for the eight photos of happiness bloghop:

• Tag me in your post.
• Link to the creator of the tag. Ariel Ward from Ariel’s little corner of the internet
• Show off your own 8 photos of happiness and have fun picking them!
• You can add a little description of the photos or just let the photos speak for themselves. Easy!
• Tag others. Essentially, spread the happiness and make the world a better place!

And the tags are…

Parvathy

Supriya

Mariellen

Sindhoor

Rajiv

Bernie

Take it up guys, it’s fun… 🙂

One of the biggest lesson’s I have learned from the dogs is to find happiness in small silly things. To let go and just go with the flow. Don’t let it get to you, what it is, depends on how you see it.

There are so many things the dogs do that completely flips my mind. Like waking up day after day to a puddle of pee, or Buddha digging holes in my garden just after I’ve loosened and levelled the soil.

On bad days the dogs have it from me when things like this happen. But on good days (and there are more of those each day) I can see though it and smile.

One of those rare days when Senti managed to hold the bladder through the night. And then was in such a hurry to pee that he aimed at his spot though Buddha’s legs.

On good days I can understand that Senti couldn’t hold his bladder for another hour. He needs to pee around 3 or 4 in the morning and a lot of times I’m too tired to wake up for him. Picking up pee first thing in the morning doesn’t see so bad those days. I find myself smiling indulgently.

Buddha in his pit, while Elu contemplates joining in.

That indulgence also shows up these days when I catch Buddha covered in soil inside a pit of his making. Or when I find Cuckoo and William comfortably settled is soil they have just disturbed to bring out it’s coolness.

A favourite spot of the dogs. First they dig, then they settle.

They may not be the best thing for the garden, but the garden is the best thing for them. The same applies to me too I think. They are the best thing that has happened to me and on bad days, it’s what I have to remind myself the most. It’s also one of those things that helps me though bad days.

It’s difficult but I’m trying to chuck the pains and the bad days, the issues and troubles, and remember that it’s the small joys that bring happiness. Live in the moment, move on quickly in the bad ones and linger and enjoy the good ones.

That seems to be one of the secrets to happiness.