Happiness is stored in how someone smiles.
Either little grins or big bright smiles that make your cheeks hurt. In how his eyes squint when he grins and the way the smile splits her face into a look of joy. There is something so pure about how someone smiles when they are being so genuine.
Happiness that is visibly expressed is bright and joyful. It is jumping up and down in a moment of unfiltered excitement and flapping hands because you cannot hold in what you are feeling in your chest.
There is happiness in the way that someone dances when they are alone, throwing themselves into every movement and grinning at the way they fumble through it. The music is either too loud or too quiet and draws attention nonetheless; unplanned dance parties in common rooms happen more often than not.
Happiness is found in the different ways that people laugh, full belly laughs with shaking shoulders or small hiccups of sound or silent giggles. The song from Mary Poppins says it well enough; “I love to laugh/Long and loud and clear/.” There is happiness in how someone relaxes into the sound, letting themself forget everything and laugh until their sides hurt.
Happiness can be spending time with others. Putting all of your energy into making another person smile or to make their day a little better. Getting meals with friends you haven’t spoken to in a while or meeting with a Professor who always has time to ask a student how their day is going.
Happiness is putting everything into other people and expecting nothing in return.
There is happiness to be found in selfless acts, and there is happiness in being alone; self care and alone time and headphones with music playing. Dedicating time to yourself in an effort to relax after a day that wasn’t necessarily stressful but also wasn’t necessarily calm.
Happiness is finishing your tasks early.
It’s when you start on your homework and finish it in the time you guessed it would take. It is remembering that an assignment is due the day before it is, rather than an hour before the class. It is enjoying yourself in your work and in your studying. It is when professors decide to not assign any homework on a Friday.
Happiness can be in the small things: setting schedules or winging it, being precisely on time to classes or a few minutes early, humming to yourself as you work, or going to the great hall and they happen to be serving your favorite food. Or in the larger things: getting your car fixed or finalizing an assignment or a revision within minutes of it being due.
There is happiness in peace, relaxing for just a moment in between classes and taking a deep breath after you cross campus.
In the hour just before the sun rises, when the whole world feels like it is holding its breath in awe of the beauty the day will bring.
In the beauty that is tangibly felt when the sun sets just over the horizon and paints the color in gorgeous blues and purples and pinks and reds.
Happiness is for everyone.
And more than anything, happiness is individual to every person.