translation of Sakura’s blog: The Rules of Happiness

I was reading my friend Sakura’s blog, and thought this entry had a lot of value and truth, so I took the liberty of translating it. Please read and enjoy:

“Ever since I retired, I’ve had more time so I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.

Different things make different people happy- those are their “Rules of Happiness” – but in the end, what effects you also effects the people around you. For example, if I’m smiling then people around me might feel cheered up and happy, too. If I’m challenging myself to do something, or I’m wrapped up in something, it stimulates people around me to sympathize or empathize with me.

It’s neither a good thing nor a bad thing. It just is.

Therefore, whatever we decide to do, it’s important to not give up and just give it a try.

I retired from MMA and kickboxing, but if I get the opportunity to do something other than that, I might as well challenge myself to try.

If it turns out to be no good, well that’s that. It’s better than not trying at all.

Whether we did well or did poorly, at least we leave something behind.

Even though I should know this well, it seems to have gotten fuzzy and unclear, deep inside me. Day by day it feels like I’ve been living inside a dream, forgetting this important thing. Like I’ve become unable to see.

I’ve been feeling like not only myself but the people around me have been suffocating.
I haven’t felt in perfect health due to age and other things, but one can’t help getting older. It’s okay to give up if you literally can’t do it anymore, but you shouldn’t give up before your time! That’s important.

How close am I to the finish line? I’m still wildly running as fast as I can.”

Translated from this blog entry:
Sakura’s blog entry: Rules of Happiness

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