Reblog: Happiness, According to One of My Students
In preparation for tomorrow’s keynote address at the Student Success in Writing Conference here in Savannah, I am reblogging these three pertinent posts. EnJoy!
In my English 1102 (Composition II) classes, we have been writing about happiness–based on the books we are reading (Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini), as well as our Gratitude Journals and Happiness Boxes (more on this fun and quirky strategy in a later JoyInciter post).
Here’s what Claire Torell, one of my students, wrote about happiness:
“Though happiness can appear in the stillness of the morning, or on walks in the cool breeze, happiness cannot hide when you create it for yourself. I hunt it down in the wisps of grass that resemble an old woman’s swirl of hair. I breathe it in with my morning coffee and feel its creamy texture in my lungs. I absorb happiness from stucco walls and molded ceilings. The bright paint chips and glow of rust help happiness flow through my blood.”
Isn’t that cool? Terrific imagery. And I love Claire’s assertion that happiness can’t hide if we create it for ourselves. Yes, let’s do that–become makers/creators of happiness.
Thanks, Claire!
