Happy is the wrong word, the opposite of sad, nobody is happy or sad as a basic line of life both are highs and lows. Contented would be better, contentment as a general living condition with a few happy and sadness bits thrown in is ideal. As Rudyard Kipling so aptly put it in his poem "if" :-

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat these two imposters just the same

I have long thought that the concept of happiness is a bit nebulous, difficult to measure and somewhat over blown. I prefer to use the concept of fulfillment. I think it equates to basically the same thing, but it is far easier to measure. Yes, I am quite fulfilled with my life here. My Thai wife is amazing, and delightful on a daily basis. Have some good friends here, love to travel throughout the region, am fortunate to have a wonderful family with the in laws, and her lovely siblings, and I love Thai food. The spicier, the better! 

 

Of course, there are things that could improve, in terms of the environment. More culture would be nice. Live jazz, live comedy, some theater, more independent film (though I download to my heart's content at ridiculously high speeds), and such. But, overall life here is quite good. Of course I get to travel back to the US a few times a year, so that helps in terms of breaking things up, and providing a change of pace, visiting family, great road trips where we get to see the National Parks, doing alot of cultural stuff, drinking fabulous wine, visiting with close, long term friends, etc. And it also gives me alot of perspective on my life here, when I see how utterly desperate, lonely, disappointed, disenfranchised, bitter, and angry so many people are in the forsaken and dramatically declining land of America. 

 

So, it's all good, thank you very much!

I voted 'as happy as happy can be'

But that raises the question how happy can you be at 60+ when age related illness start to creep in?

I have a nice home, young woman in my bed every night, great children, big TV, fast internet .......... 

But I've done it all before, nothing is new.

I have had an amazing life ,done things and met so many people well known and not ,been married and lived with some very lovely women ,have a great family ,never been rich ,but luckily always had enough to enjoy life , had one or two downs ,but came back even better ,now married to the most wonderful woman and her family are so nice as well ,i just hope i dont die to soon ,win the lottery and die very quickly ,not knowing anything about it .

1 hour ago, kellersphuket said:

i'm interested to see which way this will swing.

people who are calling me negative etc, please dont take it to heart.

 

I mean no malice or ill will to anyone. 

 

hope eveyrone has a great weekend! 

 

 

I find that people with a happy disposition are generally happy in Thailand. Those with a miserable disposition are generally miserable in Thailand.

 

I suggest that you take a look in the mirror and roll a fat one.

I think "Very happy" and "As happy as happy can be" are never permanent, only temporary (maybe for an hour in Soi 6)

"Happy enough" is a permanent condition.

Carpe diem

16 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I voted 'as happy as happy can be'

But that raises the question how happy can you be at 60+ when age related illness start to creep in?

I have a nice home, young woman in my bed every night, great children, big TV, fast internet .......... 

But I've done it all before, nothing is new.

Buy your young woman a new uniform for every night. Then you can pretend you didn't do it all before.

Am I happy?

Wrong word. Happiness is a brief and fleeting emotion. The feeling you get when you get together with friends you haven't seen in awhile. Or, eating your favourite pudding etc. stc.

 

A better word would be "content". Are you content? Yes, I am.

Plunging into the depths of debauchery, not insanity.

 

Have you set up the sound system to blast the neighbors yet? That might cheer you up.

59 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

also gives me alot of perspective on my life here, when I see how utterly desperate, lonely, disappointed, disenfranchised, bitter, and angry so many people are in the forsaken and dramatically declining land of America. 

I thought you were going to say in the ........... of Thaivisa .   hahahah

Its all relative, I guess.   As for the US.  its been so long since I've been there that I cannot even imagine what those people are like.  But your comment does agree with what I imagine.

Maybe just me, but when I am feeling healthy (some days better than others)... I am indeed happy here.

I just see that KP has replied again.  Now today he is one happy camper  ????

BTW:  i have just gone back to read the choices of how happy I am.  I do not see an answer for  ALL OF THE ABOVE.     I have probably been in each of those categories at one time or another in Thailand and life.   Now I call it "experience"

I nearly always happy...but seldom satisfied!   ????

Off topic posts removed.

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Buy your young woman a new uniform for every night. Then you can pretend you didn't do it all before.

Jeezus-make pretend schoolgirls (at least that is what I hope they are)..

 

Everyone is sick of this.

 

Sooner or later the Thai Gov't will "Dunkirk" you and you can drag your sleazy butt back home.

» Happy

This dwarf is the one who is happy all the time. Happy does not need to search for happiness outside, it is part of his constitution to be happy about everything that comes his way. He is cheerful, even when the dwarfs find Snow White sleeping in their house, and mistake her for The Cleaning Monster, who is guilty of cleaning their place. The only time he loses his composure, is when the princess bites into the Witch's apple, and falls into a sleeping death.

 

 

1 hour ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Am I happy?

Wrong word. Happiness is a brief and fleeting emotion. The feeling you get when you get together with friends you haven't seen in awhile. Or, eating your favourite pudding etc. stc.

 

A better word would be "content". Are you content? Yes, I am.

 

 

Agree with this.

 

For retired expats it is how you feel, and how you fill your time, on the ordinary/dull/normal/boring days. Contentment is the is the emotion to aim for, with highs and lows spiking from that depending on what you have done.

 

That applies whether you are in Thailand or your home country.

Try watching the Youtube channel "The School of Life"

7 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

» Happy

 

This video is de riguer for everyone to watch as you drink your morning coffee every day. Back in the day, I used to play "Alaways look on the Bright Side of Life" when driving to work in the morning.

 

But "Happy" is way better. I guess everyone can identify with someone in the video. For me it was the white guy singing and dancing on the bus. I've been known to give a similar performance on the London Tube on more than one occasion. Being from the North, I couldn't bear to see all those miserable faces staring straight ahead.

Brain stem intact, use toilet independently, <deleted> works, saved all my $$$$, no medications, kids, responsibilities, drugs, alcohol issues, follow rules...life is a thrill.

3 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Being from the North

The North is a big place, but there's only one Ashton-under-Lyne and one Nong Pradu !   LOL

1 minute ago, wgdanson said:

The North is a big place, but there's only one Ashton-under-Lyne !   LOL

Where I come from, if you're from South of the Mersey or East of the Pennines, you're a foreigner.

 

Quite a bit further North than you (60 miles) although i did live in Didsbury and Chorlton when I was younger.

30 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Jeezus-make pretend schoolgirls (at least that is what I hope they are)..

 

Everyone is sick of this.

No, lots of guys love it. That's why many girls in many bars wear sexy clothes.

But you obviously wouldn't know that because you would never ever go to those sleazy places.

Id  question why you need  to feel "happy"

4 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

What about the people who are happy to see that others are unhappy ?

 

There appears to be a group of posters who wont be happy until they are convinced everyone is unhappy and leaving.

 

It begs the question, if you were so unhappy and left, why are you hanging around in a Thailand forum?

 

 

You mean like Ron jeremy?

 

Ron? Any insight on why you're still lurking?

What is 'happy'?  happy with government = no, happy no cancer = yes, happy have enough money = yes, happy with soi dogs = no

 

Overall = ok, sometimes happy sometimes peed off isn't that the same for all of us?

19 minutes ago, Chazar said:

Id  question why you need  to feel "happy"

No need, and many doesn't feel real happy whatever they tell you. It's almost like loosing face fo the Thais, to confess that in reality they're not really happy.

1 hour ago, wgdanson said:

This dwarf is the one who is happy all the time.

why do you call him a dwarf ?    you think that is funny?  I guess it makes you feel like a "big man" ?

6 minutes ago, rumak said:

why do you call him a dwarf ?    you think that is funny?  I guess it makes you feel like a "big man" ?

What are on about Bullit. The quote I used was describing Happy, you know, one of the Seven Dwarfs in Disney's film.

4 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

What are on about Bullit. The quote I used was describing Happy, you know, one of the Seven Dwarfs in Disney's film.

haha  ok   my bad .   Pharrell is not a large guy so I misinterpreted your comment.  I am certainly not a PC guy but somehow I took offense to that.   Almost rounded up my six compadres to pay you a visit.

Peace

4 minutes ago, rumak said:

I am certainly not a PC guy but somehow I took offense to that. 

Yes, 'somehow' that's how the PC affliction all begins.

Crosshairs, aquired, trigger, ...........stand-down !.......5555 ????