I like to turn feelings and emotions into characters that live their lives with us. Here’s one to enjoy with my love, because you can never have too much happiness.
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Happiness is patient
Happiness walks to work so she can watch dawn speckled clouds shimmer on the horizon and feel the breeze with her fingertips. Morning birdsong fills her soul, and freshly brewed chai warms her heart. She owns a thriving jewellery store in the city and a stall at the Sunday market, which doesn’t make much, but she keeps it going anyway because she likes to meet different people. As she threads gemstones, she watches the crowd milling by, catches an eye now and then, shares a smile. People smile back and wonder at the sudden lightness in their step.
She lets customers take their time to browse. Experience has shown that people will choose when they are ready and not a moment before. She holds a mirror while they try an earring and turn their heads this way and that. You’re beautiful, she says to one. I love your hair, to another. She is gifted in how she knows what people want to hear the most. She is generous too. She never discounts, but she loves to offer a gift with purchase.
Happiness doesn’t try to please everyone, but somehow, she does. Her style is usually bright, colourful, a little wild. She is fond of feathers, sequins and bows. She has learnt how to be subtle too, and she has a range of delicate gold and silver chains which are her bestseller. Her specialty is to custom design to one’s heart’s desire.
All types of people are drawn to enter her store – the shy, bold, curious, angry, and especially the sad. Sadness is one of her best customers. Last week, she suggested that Sadness could open a store of her own one day. Sadness touched the rosegold necklace she was trying on and smiled wistfully into the mirror that Happiness was holding.
Happiness told her; You have beautiful deep eyes, rich, like dark honey. Sadness drizzles honey on everything now.