Happiness is Transient

A child with a disability taught retired teacher, Elizabeth Appleyard, an important lesson on mental health and wellbeing. In a class exercise, when other children were wishing for material items, this child wished for a new hand. At the same time, this child appeared to be an essentially happy soul. He had friends, he laughed, he played. The lesson for Elizabeth is that happiness is transient. To be happy means that, at some point, you will also be sad. They are emotions on the same spectrum. Underneath them is contentment and peace. You can feel sad and know that, basically, you're alright. Contentment is about enjoying day to day existence, about experiencing each day as a present to be unwrapped. "I can pay my bills and I can do what I like with my day. That," says Elizabeth, "is a luxury."