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25 October 2026

There are things we enjoy more when nobody else knows about them.

A quiet cup of tea before the house wakes up. A song we have returned to for years. A small amount of money saved for something that matters to us. A walk taken without photographing the view or checking who has sent a message.

These moments do not need to become stories for other people. They can remain ours.

Somewhere along the way, we have become accustomed to showing evidence of our happiness. A beautiful meal becomes a photograph. A journey becomes a collection of updates. Even a personal achievement can feel incomplete until somebody acknowledges it.

Sharing is not wrong. There is genuine pleasure in letting others join our happiness. But there is also a quiet freedom in enjoying something without wondering how it will look to anyone else.

A private pleasure is not a secret to be guarded. It is simply an experience that does not need an audience to be real.

Perhaps we should leave a little space in our lives for such things. Not everything needs to be announced, explained or approved.

Some memories become more precious precisely because we were fully present when they happened, rather than thinking about how to present them afterwards.

Let a few good things belong only to you. They may turn out to be the ones you remember most fondly.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah, Guwahati, Assam, India, Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah, YouTube: conversewithasmile, email rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com