I don’t mean to make the idea of happiness simple and easy because it’s not – and it’s also not about avoiding our pain or struggles. Rather, it’s about seeking happiness in our lives through it all.
In April 2015, when I was 15 years old, I learned that my grandfather had taken his own life after fighting with anxiety and depression for many years.
When a wildfire leveled my home when I was 20, I fell into a deep depression. Later, when I began to re-engage, I started to associate my emergence with Tu BiShvat.
A recent experience at the gym reminded me that, far too often, my own self-centeredness blinds me to my abundant blessings.