OF COMFORT AND HAPPINESS

{wearing: thrifted top, cotton on shorts, charles&keith sandals, michael kore laptop case}

My good friend Pooja recently raised a very interesting question - are you happy or are you just comfortable? Like what the righthand side of this blog says, I enjoy introspecting and pondering on the meaning of life so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I loved this question. So much so that I've brought this topic up with several different people so we can pick our brains and expand our views together. I just couldn't get over the brilliance of this question! It's a short and sweet way for life assessment, don't you think?

First thing you need to do when answering this question is to define "happy" and "comfortable". I've always based the definition of happy on its french counterpart- contente. For me, being happy is being content with what you have. Being comfortable is being at ease, and it normally involves something convenient. What's wrong with comfortable? Can't you be happy and comfortable? I mean, think about it - both comfort and happiness are ultimately positive. My friends' arguments made me reflect even more. This led to redefining my key words. Comfort is usually effortless. It's that snug feeling as you plop down a sofa and the cushion curves to hug you. It's you getting easily satiated and it's not a bad thing in itself. The only time it becomes detrimental is when it stops you from pursuing higher goals and deeper desires. The problem is not being comfortable, it's in being lazy. Happiness is being content with what you have and what you don't have. It's in continually finding awe, beauty, and even inspiration in the everyday things every day. It's being fine knowing that there are some things you don't have. It's about not having a restless heart and a wandering soul. There is absolutely nothing wrong staying somewhere (literally and figuratively) comfortable. The bottomline of the question is: are you honest to goodness happy with where you are in life right now? 

In life and in dressing, I recognize the importance of comfort but I also place a high value on creativity and expression. Comfort should never be an excuse in draining your life off beauty and happiness - whether they're in the form of new adventures or bright accessories.

xx