You can't feel the joy of sunshine without a sprinkling of rain.

Happiness to me is a vast, excitable bubbling ball of vibrant energy exploding with stars from the pit of my stomach. I can feel the colours, taste the vibrations and see the music it makes. 

Feeling happy is awesome and awe is a powerful human emotion! People fill me with awe, as do places, stars, sunsets, rainbows, the moon; it's those things stop me in my tracks, wide eyed with wonder and make me exclaim, "WOW!" 

Feeling grateful,  thinking about the things and people I feel lucky to have in my life is an instant mood booster, but happiness is not a stand-alone feeling, it's a comparative emotion. You can only measure happiness against sadness. Without sadness happiness would have no meaning. I have found gratitude a great way of bottling happiness and saving it up for the sad times in life when I need it most.

I recently felt deep sadness after hearing the news someone, who had only touched my life for a short time, had taken their own life. Someone I'd been meaning to message, but not wanted to bother, someone who had crossed my mind, that very same morning of the day I'd heard they had died. This was someone who had instantly filled me with awe, from the very first moment we met.

Immediately I felt engulfed with sadness, pain and regret. It was gratitude as well as attitude that later brought me comfort. I feel lucky for the short time we shared, for the tales he told, the laughter, the experiences - singing songs round the campfire, getting drunk, eating caterpillar cake and skinny dipping under the stars in the darkness of night. 

For whatever reason, he decided to end his suffering. I will always appreciate his time in my life, he made an impact on me that will last. 

Time has taught me well - without those elements of sadness in life, those explosions of extreme joy and happiness could never be measured. For that I am grateful. 

"The stars that shine the brightest are the ones with the shortest lives. The death of a single star outshines everything in the galaxy."

Rest in peace.

By Maggie Martin