Boola

A big thank you to Henry Petty of www.pettycure.com for serving as today’s guest writer.

What is the meaning of life?

Is it to achieve all you can to prove your self-worth?  Earn a degree so you can make yourself feel important?  Travel 11 hours to a remote island so you’ll be able to hang out by the ocean and finally be fulfilled?  Make lots of money so you’ll feel significant?  Or is it to drink muddy water and profess happiness?  The latter is what the people of the island Fiji believe, and I think they’re onto something.

The Fijian people greet each other with,”Boola, Boola, Boola,” which means, “We’re happy you’re here; welcome–we love you,” and their favorite recreation is sharing grog with each other, a muddy, watery substance served in a coconut, while reciting this greeting to each other before taking a drink.This is similar to our culture’s tradition of saying a toast.

Fijians believe in a constant state of happiness from within; their belief is to pursue a happy life. Could it really be this simple? Simply put, the Fijians teach us that to achieve happiness doesn’t require us to achieve a goal, but to enjoy life’s journey to get there. We have inside us at this very moment the ability to achieve happiness.

Someone once asked me, “Henry, why are you always so nice and happy?”  My response:

“Boola, Boola, Boola.”

To read more of Henry’s musings, visit his blog at www.pettycure.com or check out his vlog!