Every morning when I have a day off and stay home, my husband, Peter, says to me before he leaves for work, “Be happy.”

Honestly, I am sometimes bored and don’t know what to do with myself. I want to enjoy my day off while also feeling productive. Many times, to make my day more enjoyable, I go around and wander through different stores, hoping to find something nice or useful. Finding something I like gives me a temporary sense of achievement.

However, shopping cannot make me truly happy. After the excitement fades, I often feel empty.

One day, I was sitting at my desk, thinking about what I really wanted to do—something I could genuinely enjoy and love. Then I thought, Wht not cooking or writing?

Cooking has always been something I enjoy. Sometimes, I have followed recipes from YouTube and other online sources, but I have also created my own recipes, many of which turned out delicious. I have often thought about sharing my recipes, but somehow I have never felt inspired enough to take that step. I would simply keep those recipes to myself.

Writing is another hobby of mine. More than anything, I want to create a record of my life—a collection of memories that captures the experiences I have had along the way. I believe writing can help clarify my thoughts, preserve meaningful moments, and encourage personal growth.

People often say that life is like a one-way journey. Along the road, we experience all kinds of things—happiness, hardship, disappointment, discovery, and achievement. We cannot turn back or travel the same road again. All we can do is appreciate the scenery on both sides of the road and record some of those moments in writing.

So, from now on, I have decided to write down the things I have seen, learned, and experienced. I will continue cooking, experimenting with my own recipes, and perhaps share them someday when I feel ready.

Finding something that truly makes me happy matters to me. I want to keep that thought in mind and make my days off more meaningful—not simply by consuming things, but by creating something of my own.

Perhaps this is what Peter means when he tells me, “Be happy.” Maybe happiness is not something I need to go out and find. Maybe it is something I can create, one day at a time.