When melancholy and happiness collide

I love rain.

I love the sound of raindrops, the grey sky and the howling wind. Do you as well?

But the funny thing is that this kind of weather is meant to illustrate sadness.

I would call it a reassuring sadness.

The bad weather tells you that you’re not alone. There’s a deep, emotional connection between both of you.

You could go out with your favorite umbrella. Or you could stay at home and observe the street from your bedroom window.

The rain won’t leave you.

It feels like you’re not the only one feeling sad.

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We are generally driven by the pursuit of happiness. We want love, a meaningful job, great values and friendships that will lead us to be happy.

So, is the desire to be sad even possible?

As strange as it seems, sadness might seem to heal. Crying helps. There’s nothing wrong with being weak; we’re just human beings after all.

Melancholy makes you think. It makes you look into yourself, and the world that surrounds you.

So it’s not a bad thing after all.

What if there was a link between happiness and sadness?

I used to think that happiness was the elimination of sadness, but now I’m not so sure…

Because every time I feel sad, it makes me more conscious of life’s fragility, and that leads to gratitude.

Gratitude is linked to happiness. So after wiping my eyes and nose, I become…happy.

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If you feel sad, an advice would be to explore your sadness. Yes, it’s more crude and pessimistic than “Cheer up!“, but it can help. Analyse why you’re feeling that way. Write it in a journal. Go for a walk and observe the trees. Cry. Run. Make a silly dance. Then take a nap.

Looks like reassuring sadness is waiting.

It’s a great goal to be happy, but I think we should also recognize that melancholy is closely linked to it.

If you’re feeling emotional, here’s a cool animation from the School of Life (an awesome video):