The School of Happiness

Just for fun 😜

1. When one door closes and another door opens, you are probably in prison.

2. To me, "drink responsibly" means don't spill it.

3. Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 pm is the new midnight.

4. It's the start of a brand new day, and I'm off like a herd of turtles.

5. The older I get, the earlier it gets late.

6. When I say, "The other day," I could be referring to any time between yesterday and 15 years ago.

7. I remember being able to get up without making sound effects.

8. I had my patience tested. I'm negative.

9. Remember, if you lose a sock in the dryer, it comes back as a Tupperware lid that doesn't fit any of your containers.

10. If you're sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat next to you, just stare straight ahead and say, "Did you bring the money?"

11. When you ask me what I am doing today, and I say "nothing," it does not mean I am free. It means I am doing nothing.

12. I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took me three days, but whatever.

13. I run like the winded.

14. I hate when a couple argues in public, and I missed the beginning and don't know whose side I'm on.

15. When someone asks what I did over the weekend, I squint and ask, "Why, what did you hear?"

16. When you do squats, are your knees supposed to sound like a goat chewing on an aluminum can stuffed with celery?

17. I don't mean to interrupt people. I just randomly remember things and get really excited.

18. When I ask for directions, please don't use words like "east."

19. Don't bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring. Spend 30 seconds in my head. That'll freak you right out.

20. Sometimes, someone unexpected comes into your life out of nowhere, makes your heart race, and changes you forever. We call those people cops.

21. My luck is like a bald guy who just won a comb."

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I asked a room full of students a simple question:
“What scares you more—failing, or disappointing your parents?”
The silence said everything.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been conducting mental well-being workshops at Delhi Public School, Siliguri; Delhi Public School, Fulbari; and Army Public School, Bengdubi. And across every campus, one theme kept resurfacing:

The Weight of Expectations.

These are bright, capable, hardworking students. But many of them are carrying an invisible burden—the fear that their best might still not be enough.

We spoke about “pressure.”Not as something to eliminate entirely, but to understand better.

Because often, pressure comes from love.
From parents who want their children to have secure, successful futures.

But here’s the shift we explored:
When fear of the future becomes louder than the joy of the present, pressure stops motivating—and starts limiting.

Two powerful ideas emerged:

• Every child needs a “safety valve” — a space where they can exist without being judged or evaluated.

A child’s worth is not report-card dependent — even though many silently believe it is.

I had students come up to me, some in tears, not because they didn’t try—but because their effort didn’t translate into marks… and what that meant in their parents’ eyes.

That stayed with me.

Maybe the real question isn’t “Are our children working hard enough?”
Maybe it’s “Do they feel safe enough to fail?”
Because when children feel secure, they don’t just perform better—
they grow better.

Curious to hear from parents and educators here:

How do you balance expectations with emotional safety?

My special thanks to

* APS Bengdubi Principal: Mrs.
* DPS Fulbari Principal: Mrs.
* DPS Fulbari Management: Ms. (Director) & Mr. (Pro-VC)
* DPS Siliguri Principal: Mrs.

According to an old Native American legend, one day there was a big fire in the forest. All the animals fled in terror in all directions, because it was a very violent fire. Suddenly, the jaguar saw a hummingbird pass over his head, but in the opposite direction. The hummingbird flew towards the fire!

Whatever happened, he wouldn't stop. Moments later, the jaguar saw him pass again, this time in the same direction as the jaguar was walking. He could observe this coming and going, until he decided to ask the bird about it, because it seemed very bizarre behavior.

"What are you doing, hummingbird?" he asked.

"I am going to the lake," he answered, "I drink water with my beak and throw it on the fire to extinguish it." The jaguar laughed. 'Are you crazy? Do you really think that you can put out that big fire on your own with your very small beak?'

'No,' said the hummingbird, 'I know I can't. But the forest is my home. It feeds me, it shelters me and my family. I am very grateful for that. And I help the forest grow by pollinating its flowers. I am part of her and the forest is part of me. I know I can't put out the fire, but I must do my part.'

At that moment, the forest spirits, who listened to the hummingbird, were moved by the birdie and its devotion to the forest. And miraculously they sent a torrential downpour, which put an end to the great fire.

The Native American grandmothers would occasionally tell this story to their grandchildren, then conclude with, "Do you want to attract miracles into your life? Do your part."

"You have no responsibility to save the world or find the solutions to all problems—but to attend to your particular personal corner of the universe. As each person does that, the world saves itself."

Author © Luisa Morando
Photo © white tiger foundation

25 POWER WORDS

1. Intrepid (adjective) - Fearless and adventurous.

2. Lethargic (adjective) - Slow, tired, and lacking energy.

3. Malevolent (adjective) - Wishing harm to others; evil.

4. Malleable (adjective) - Easily shaped or influenced.

5. Sagacious (adjective) - Wise and showing good judgment.

6. Sardonic (adjective) - Grimly mocking or cynical.

7. Sporadic (adjective) - Occurring irregularly or occasionally.

8. Stoic (adjective) - Not showing emotions, especially in pain.

9. Tantamount (adjective) - Equal in seriousness or meaning.

10. Opaque (adjective) - Not transparent or hard to understand.

11. Paragon (noun) - A perfect example of a quality or virtue.

12. Persevere (verb) - To keep trying despite difficulties.

13. Plausible (adjective) - Seemingly reasonable or believable.

14. Prosaic (adjective) - Dull or ordinary; lacking imagination.

15. Redundant (adjective) - No longer needed or useful.

16. Reiterate (verb) - To repeat something for emphasis.

17. Vex (verb) - To annoy, frustrate, or worry.

18. Demur (verb) - To object or show reluctance.

19. Hiatus (noun) - A pause or break in a process or activity.

20. Idiosyncrasy (noun) - A strange or unique personal habit.

21. Impetuous (adjective) - Acting quickly without thinking.

22. Incessant (adjective) - Continuing without stopping.

23. Indelible (adjective) - Impossible to forget or remove.

24. Inept (adjective) - Lacking skill or ability.

25. Melancholy (noun) - A deep, long-lasting sadness.

“Hey, how are you?” the eraser asked the pencil kindly.

“I’m not your friend,” the pencil snapped. “I hate you.”

Surprised and hurt, the eraser asked, “Why?”

“Because you erase everything I write.”

“I only remove the mistakes,” the eraser replied gently.

“That doesn’t make it right,” said the pencil.

“But that’s what I’m here for. It’s my purpose.”

“Then your job is meaningless,” grumbled the pencil. “Writing is more important than erasing.”

“To erase the wrong is just as important as writing the right,” the eraser said.

The pencil paused, then quietly said, “But I see you getting smaller each day…”

“That’s because I give a little bit of myself every time I help correct a mistake.”

“I feel smaller too,” the pencil admitted.

“We can’t do good for others unless we’re willing to sacrifice something,” the eraser smiled.

Then she looked at him and softly asked, “Do you still hate me?”

The pencil smiled back:
“How could I hate someone who gives so much of themselves?”

Each day we wake up with one day less.
If you can’t be the pencil that creates joy for others, be the eraser that wipes away their pain, planting hope and reminding them:
The future can still be better than the past.

We have to seriously play :)))

🙏🙏

Instead of expressing, "I know what it feels like," we can say, "I cannot imagine your heartbreak."

Rather than stating, "You're strong, you'll get through this," we could convey, "You'll hurt, and I'll be here."

Instead of commenting, "You look like you're doing well," we might ask, "How are you holding up today?"

Rather than saying, "Healing takes time," we could express, "Healing has no timeline."

Instead of suggesting, "Everything happens for a reason," we can acknowledge, "This must feel so terribly senseless right now."

And in moments where words seem absent, it's perfectly okay not to search for them. Love can also be communicated through silence.

Ullie-Kaye

𝜕𝛳𝛼𝐵𝜔

Art: Jennifer Yoswa

Shveitta (@schoolofhappinesshongkong) • Instagram photos and videos 56 Followers, 26 Following, 6 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Shveitta ()