Little things, great joys

We don't have to create empathy, seducing others and gaining acceptance, through the trick of pretense and dissimulation. It's much better to always be yourself, with lightheartedness, self-irony, and the awareness that everyone, absolutely everyone, has flaws and strengths. Dissimulation, putting on a face to gain easy approval, may work in the short term. But in the long run, the game is exposed.  And there is the risk of triggering a reaction of annoyance, if not rejection, on the part of those who had believed so much in our fake personality.

It's certainly one of the best antidotes to boredom, depression, and loneliness. And to be curious, we must also be able to ask questions about small, seemingly trivial things. Everyone has something to give us, to tell us, to pique our curiosity. Curiosity, in fact, is exchanged and practiced also through the images of a story, of a pleasant conversation, of our little memoir. Go as far as gossip, light and not malicious, but don't cross the red line of slander. It's toxic.

With family, friends and acquaintances, you need to have the long look and an open mind: being able to create good relationships, cultivating them even with small gestures, small attentions, is the foundation for a life filled with human connection. Intense, even in the most difficult moments, and as such happier. And if your goal is to improve a human relationship, always choose the right perspective: appreciate a person's strengths rather than dwell on their flaws. Finally, remember a rule engraved and repeated many times in the Gospels: don't judge them. Think more about We than I.

Friendships, relationships, and affections are cultivated. In detail, and possibly with due continuity. Enjoy the moment of a pleasant conversazione With a friend you haven't seen in a while. Don't rush when a loved one craves your company. Don't stand there with a watch in your hand, uselessly chasing time. And in this repertoire of affections, starting with the most intimate, rediscover the value, weight, and eroticism of gestures. Kisses, hugs, caresses. These are essential moments of pleasure and happiness.These are gestures that we have removed, also thanks to the pandemic, but we must, piece by piece, rediscover and put back into play.

Don't give up on the optimism of the will

Even at the expense of the pessimism of intelligence. Besides, complaining too much is useless, and it alienates others who also have their own problems and worries. When you feel sluggish, rather dull and listless, try to regain energy even through the small gesture of relaxing physical activity. The best? The simplest of all: walking. Do it without commitment, without effort, and with your mind free of any worries. A little time, and you'll feel better. Rather, don't be a slave to your smartphone, and turn off any electronic device every now and then.

Don't always raise expectations

Speaking of expectations, goals, and ambitions. Settling isn't a defeat. Learn to appreciate what you have without giving up your ambition. The important thing is not to set the bar too high. Even the time It's an important factor to keep in mind on our journey to happiness through the little things: don't waste it on pointless worries, and don't expect to put your life in order, according to your defined goals, overnight. Everything comes in its own time. And all this with the right gradualness, which does not exclude kidney surgeries if and when they are necessary.

Chasing utopias

There's nothing smaller than a dream, yet it can truly change your life. And utopia means exploring, inventing, and creating. Never stop imagining a better future and strive, day by day, to build it. Benedetto Croce said, in short, something truly sacred: "From small windows, we dream great things." You can try it too, every day.

Forget, so as not to have grudges

Il rancor It's tiring, boring, and a huge waste of time. Often, it doesn't lead to anything good; in fact, it worsens a situation that's already negative to begin with. "Pay no attention to them, but look and pass on," wrote Dante Alighieri. And in some cases, this concept is still very relevant.

Don't take anything for granted

Not even the pleasure of small things, which, when savored over and over again, become, in our perception, taken for granted. Instead, it's best to consider them an achievement and a pleasure that are repeated and reclaimed time after time. In happiness, and in its pursuit, as in serenity, there is a struggle that cannot be erased. If anything, live it without anxiety and with the right amount of lightheartedness, knowing that happiness isn't synonymous with chance.

Thinking with a child's head

Here are all the advantages of the simplicity and even a certain dose of naiveté. Here, too, lies the advantage of the "here and now," the pleasure of the moment that children know how to seize. Naiveté is neither a sign of low intelligence nor of a passive spirit; it is a form of rebellion against pure calculation, and the everyday cynicism that desperately seeks it.