Borrowed Happiness Challenge: The Rabbit Note

The Tiny Neighbor Who Taught Me How to Shout

Aami’s breathless soundtrack still Breaks the Tension for me

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Until a few weeks ago, I had this little neighbour — a little girl who is now about four. Her family moved in when Aami was only a week old. So I’ve seen her grow up right before my eyes.

Now I’ve seen my share of kids. But I’ve never seen a baby so bubbly, so infectiously joyful, and so gracefully forgiving. Aami had been my source of joy, fun, and quirky little phrases all these years.

This set of “borrowed lexicon” is the cherry on top of Aami’s sweetness that takes the cake.

When she runs, she doesn’t just move; she narrates it. She shouts out loud, “Ruuu…un!” and turns a simple little sprint into a theatrical event. Her “NO…” isn’t a refusal; it’s an acoustic boundary that can be heard miles away.

So in some situations, I use her quirky little phrases… in lighthearted situations, I still use them generously in my life… and in some hard times I use them to lighten the tension.

The way she does not take no for an answer, the way she keeps yelling at her parents and grandparents for attention, playtime, and toys—it all makes me laugh so hard, even in retrospect.

To me, Aami isn’t just a source of joy. She is also a paradigm of cascading creativity and a paragon of purity. She does demand playtime firmly.

But she also does not miss a chance to share.

I’ve seen her insisting that her mother have some of her chocolate.

Every time I hand her treats, mangoes, or crayons, she immediately brings something for me from her stash of toys. I had my rabbits until a few months ago. I used to bring the rabbits over to distract her from forcing me to have her chocolates!

That is how adamant she was, when it came to sharing.

Even her shouting “Ruuu…un!” each time she ran — I always say — is her way of helping others run from whatever she is running from!

Watching her insist that the world share in her tiny abundance was a pure lesson in Mitfreude.

I moved away a few weeks ago. But every time I borrow her words to break adult tension, I find her quiet, unexpected joy is still right there in the pocket of my heart, where I used to store sweets for her.

happy child (image made with AI by author)

I hope the world gets more ‘Aami’s I hope the world cherishes the ‘Aami’s I hope the ‘Aami’s of the world find more ‘Aami’s

Thanking Manmeet Singh Bhatia for this joyous prompt of sharing. Thanking the whole team, really!

Metaphor and Muse ( Prakhar Sahu) 🌸Preeti Pathak🌸 Rhythm and Ink (Saumya Srivastav) Monika Mahadev, Danish Ahmad, Harleen Kaur, Vaidik k, Harshit, Arpita Srivastava, CuriousMind, Shauqi Mizaj, Paulia Dianz ❃

😃 This story is part of the writing challenge — “Borrowed Happiness.” There is a kind of happiness that arrives uninvited… borrowed from a stranger, a child, or a moment not your own. We are collecting those stories. Yours might be one of them.

[embed]Borrowed Happiness 😃 — A Writing Challenge Where someone else’s joy becomes quietly, unexpectedly yoursmedium.com

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**🌿 *Come, join the writing challenge, “What Changed Between Us?” Tell us about the moment a relationship changed its form and what version of you it left behind. Submit your entry by May 30, 2026*.

[embed]🌿 What Changed Between Us — May Writing Challenge Stories on shifting relationships, silent disconnections, and who we became along the waymedium.com