That short answer, made him remember for a long time.
When we were young, we always thought happiness was having a job admired by many people, having beautiful cars, villas, and luxurious trips.
Then time quietly taught each person a different lesson.
After staying up all night because of loved ones in the hospital, you realize that a meal with all the family is more precious than a lavish party. After years of chasing success, you realize that a good night's sleep, not dreamy, is happiness. After crowded but socializing meetings, you just want someone to sit and drink tea without having to strain yourself to find something to talk about.
Humans grow up not because they own more, but because they know what is truly worth keeping. He once met a technology motorbike taxi driver waiting for customers under a tree. That day it was scorching hot, there were few customers, and the income was not much. But when the phone rang, on the other end of the line was the grandchild babbling that he had just got a score of 10. The man's face suddenly lit up. He laughed loudly in the crowded street, the laughter was so clear that even the people sitting nearby unconsciously smiled along. That joy cannot be bought with money, it comes from a call that only lasts a few minutes.
Life is probably always like that. It's just that when we are young, we often look too far, so we miss things that are very close.
One morning when you wake up, you don't feel back pain like every day. An old friend suddenly texts: "Grandpa, it's been a long time, let's have coffee". Or simply return home after a long day, turn on the air conditioner and hear your wife ask: "Are you tired today?". Those things, in the past, seemed normal. Only at some point do you realize that normal is the most precious thing.
Someone asks, what is maturity? Perhaps it's when you no longer want to prove that you live happily with the whole world. You just want to live peacefully with yourself and understand that not everything brilliant is durable. Just like fireworks are only beautiful in a few minutes, but the yellow light shining from the window every night is what accompanies people through the years. Because the older you get, the more you realize that gentle, simple things are what lasts the longest in memory and are also where the heart finds peace after all storms.
