Who is the happiest individual you have met with?

From television, I’d say Brian Cox (at least, he appears to be; his smile never leaves his face).

In real life, the first one that springs to mind: my girlfriend’s grandfather; very devote Orthodox Christian, who was happy with what he had (which wasn’t much), and gifted away from that to all who he thought needed it.
Big inspiration to me.

The Dalai Lama and my former therapist

Took a while to think of someone. Sad that I couldn’t think of anyone real. The only one that comes to mind is that young female teen in the superb, excellent and magnificent anime “Cowboy Beebop.”

A lady I used to work with. She was the happiest person I ever met. Her face just glowed and she had the best laugh. She was a devout Christian, but never talked about it unless a person asked her. She looked at things from the best perspective. “They increased our work level, but I’m able to get it done, I had cancer, but it was removable, I broke my wrist, but at least it was my left hand and I’m right handed”. She went on to another job and I always missed her.

A jelly friend. She had a horrible childhood and she wanted to die as a kid. Now she is the most empowering person I’ve ever known. She brings out the best in me.

I’d say my husband tbh. He is always positive and really handles stress well. All our friends adore him, goes out of his way to give rides, watch games, cover shifts etc…terrible with money but great fun.

Together we have a lot of fun but I tend serious, which creates the balance. 15 years of marriage just this week actually.

Several of my friends : )

My friend Chet.
Chet would drive a 2½ hour commute to work every day, and always arrive smiling and happy, greeting everyone with cheerful comments.
Some people found it damned annoying.

AstroChuck

I’m so happy to call him a friend. :)

Louise who had endured a lot of pain in her long life. I met here and lived next door to her for a few years before I moved away.
A few years down later she had a breakdown from pretending to be a very positive person which in fact she was taking on to many of others problems and she could no longer keep up that charade of constant happiness etc.
She was taught to repress any thoughts of negativity, instead of working them out and seek therapy for her painful past.
When one is a bit “Too Happy” all of the time, they are repressing and trying by this way to become happy themselves. Its too back that it broke her in the end, but at least she learned to be truthful in the end to herself first then to others about her true feelings. That was the only way to let people in her life know how much of a load that she was carrying.
Being positive at the sake of her sanity was not effective especially when she did it all the time.

Edward Espe Brown.

I attended an all-day Zen and yoga workshop with him once at Green Gulch and sat next to him at lunch. He had a lightness of spirit that I have never seen in anyone else, and I grew up in a large, intense hotbed of self-avowedly happy professing evangelical Christians (which is why I’m an atheist today).