i’ve just read this quote on mareen fischinger’s blog (she’s an excellent photographer, btw):
“Being happy does not mean everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections.”
apparently, the quote is from albert camus. it stuck with me because i think it sums up rather beautifully my sentiments towards living in shanghai/china these days. in the beginning, we would whine about everything, from the non-queueing to the loud spitting on the floor, the messy and the dirty. and then somewhere in the middle of this year, slowly, things have started to change for me. i started to enjoy life here, in a way that i didn’t before. and i realized that all the imperfections were still there, but i wasn’t giving them as much importance. i wasn’t going to change them, so why bother with raising my eyebrow or complaining?
which sounds simple, but it isn’t. it’s kind of like finding the beauty in the chaos.
(and now i’m going to make some gingerbread cookies)
4 replies on “on being happy”
I find that’s how you can find a sense of freedom and serenity, when you see past the imperfections caused by things you can’t change. It’s much better than getting worked up every time you’re faced with something that doesn’t please you, as it’s a waste of your energy and it’s not going to change or improve your life in any way.
In theory it sounds very simple, like most epiphanies that change your life for the better, it’s usually something simple, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy to put into action. No, it’s not easy, but it’s worth it :) And I’m glad you’re making the most of this amazing experience, because whenever I think of you, in China, I think of you as happy with the choices you’ve made in life, while nothing is perfect, you’ve found “it”.
Tens toda a razao! Esse exercicio consegui fazer em Portugal, mas ca falta ainda qualquer coisa. Sei que nunca serei “uma deles”. Nao nos tratam mal, mas para mim ‘e importante aquele sentimento de pertencer a algo. E’ esse o grao de areia no meu sapato. Mas como esse grao de areia poderia ser muito maior, vou sendo feliz no dia a dia.
Se eu nao tivesse uma caixa enorme de bolachas de gengibre que me trouxeram do IKEA, acho que ia aproveitar a tua ideia :)
I know exactly what you mean! When I first moved here, everything was a reason for me to complain, even nice things annoyed me because I would always find some dodgy reason for why those nice things were there… But then, since a couple of months ago, everything started to change. And you’re totally right: nothing here changed – I did. Things don’t annoy me as much as they used to and I can finally say I’m happy here. :)
Good to know you’re the same. I guess it takes some time to adjust ourselves to a new life, far from everything we know. Having to recreate a “comfort zone” for yourself isn’t easy or quick, but it can be somewhat natural.
xx
I love that quote, it’s so true… But I couldn’t find its author online ! Are you sure it’s Camus, and if yes, do you have the original quote in French ? Thanks in advance ;)