The Story of Chasing Happiness
- cazocompass
- Feb 10
- 2 min read
A boy sat on the edge of a shoreline on a bay. As he looked out into the bay and he saw a magnificent cloud unlike anything he ever seen before. It was low lying and skirting across the top of the water. It was smooth and silky. It was shaped like a fish. The spotting was one of a kind. He was very excited to witness it. As soon as the cloud appeared, it dissipated and disappeared. He was hopeful that it may come back. He planned his return.
The next morning, he made his way back to the bay, hoping to see the cloud again. As he looked into the bay it appeared from out of the mist, it had formed again. He smiled a big smile, as he warmed from the inside out. He watched in awe. It was glorious. Once again, the cloud dissipated and disappeared.
After that, although he would visit many times, it never reappeared. He did however have the image of the cloud prominently in his memory. He would recall the memory from time to time, with great fondness. However, the warmth and the smile did not return when he thought of it. He had dreams of catching it - what a treasure it would be. Then he would experience the joy again. If he could just catch it. He would return to the bay everyday. As he became an adult he decided that he would become a fisherman. Every day, he would be on the water. He would go out into the bay and he would fish, and he was a very successful fisherman. And he always watched for the cloud.
One day, the cloud reappeared. Of course he saw it immediately. He readied his net. The cloud just drifted right over him he took his net and he threw it up over the cloud and it came down with a big splash. Unimpeded, the cloud just kept on moving. It disappeared. All this time he waited for the cloud to reappear, and it rolled past him as if he didn’t exist.
He rowed back to shore in disbelief as to what
happened. He sat on the shoreline contemplating.
He realized he was relying on the cloud to bring him happiness. This external thing, which he had no control of, was making him happier, or was it? His happiness was in his control. It was internal. Relying on something beyond his control for happiness only led to disappointment and frustration. Chasing happiness was not the answer. Being in the moment, and allowing himself to be grateful for what he had, would start him on this path.
(See video below)
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