A Life Lesson I Didn’t Expect From a 5-Year-Old Kid

Once, my cousin came to stay with us. She was five years old.

Every time she visited, she asked for sketch pens and crayons to draw. I gave her everything I had—colors, paper, and pens.

One afternoon, I watched her closely.

There were no figures on the page, no recognizable forms—only uneven lines, colors scattered without direction, and pens lying uncapped on the floor.

That was when a quiet realization dawned on me.

She was a child. No matter how many expensive colors I gave her, she could not yet create a beautiful drawing.

But place a simple pencil in the hands of a trained artist, and something extraordinary could emerge.

Happiness, I realized, works much the same way.

It is not necessary to have everything in order to be happy. What matters is the ability to use whatever one already has—with awareness, skill, and intention.

As a child, my Hindi handwriting was poor. I would tell my mother, “Buy me an expensive pen, and my handwriting will improve.”

She did buy that pen. Nothing changed.

The problem was not the pen.

The problem was that I had not learned how to write well.

In the same way, if one has not learned how to be happy, no amount of comfort or success can guarantee happiness.

Years later, while visiting an NGO, I saw children participating in an activity called “Best Out of Waste.”

What they created was remarkable—artworks full of imagination and beauty.

One girl told me, “I didn’t have yellow color, so I crushed turmeric and made my own.”

That moment stayed with me.

Where I might have complained, she adapted. She used what was available—creatively and effectively.

That is when it became clear to me:

The moment we stop obsessing over what we lack, and begin using what we have wisely, contentment follows naturally.

It is all right if there is no car today.

It is all right if the house is still small.

Those things can be built with effort. But why ruin today by worrying endlessly about tomorrow?

Why trade the present smile for a future one? When the moon appears incomplete, it is not because it lacks wholeness.

The moon is always complete. Our perspective simply changes.

Life is the same.

Some moments may feel unfinished, some dreams delayed. Yet, in the larger order of things, nothing is truly out of place. With time, clarity arrives—and we realize everything was always moving as it should.

Happiness is not found in abundance.

It is found in understanding, acceptance, and the art of using what life places in our hands.

As a poet once captured it beautifully:

I’m happy while working,

and just as happy while resting

If there’s no paneer today,

lentils are enough—I’m still content.

If there’s no car,

walking feels just fine.

If friends aren’t around,

I’m okay with my own company.

If someone is upset with me today,

I find peace even in their distance.

If I cannot see the one I love,

their voice is enough.

If I cannot have them,

thinking of them still brings joy.

Yesterday has passed—

I smile in its gentle memories.

Tomorrow is unknown—

I’m happy in the waiting.

This moment is passing with a smile,

so I stay rooted in today.

Life is short,

and in every moment, I choose happiness.