Lucky

A certain man was feeling very unhappy and so decided to set out into the world. He heard from people that far, far away in a distant land lived a wise man who would tell him where to seek happiness. So he took with him an old, worn-out bag, wooden clogs, and a gnarled stick for support and set out. He walked steadily, spending his nights in caves or under trees. Each day he awoke at dawn and tirelessly continued his journey until evening. He lived on fruit he found along the way and what kind people gave him.

After he had traveled a long way, he saw a small house, and before it a field and a man working in it. The traveler stopped at a fence and watched the farmer at work. The farmer asked him,

"Where are you going, my friend?

" "I'm looking for happiness," he replied without hesitation.

"Stay with me. Together we will raise animals and work in the fields, and Mother Nature will reward us a hundredfold." We will sow and harvest, we will milk the goats and watch the cows graze, we will feed the chickens—and they will reward us with eggs. What more could be needed for happiness?

The traveler thought for a moment and replied,

"I will continue on my way, but if I don't find my happiness with the wise man, I will return to you to work in the fields." For he felt he wouldn't be happy here. So he set off again and walked farther and farther. The sun smiled down on him from above, spring slowly turning into summer. His staff was so worn and worn that he had to find a new one in the roadside grove to make his journey easier.

One day, when summer was already in full swing, he stopped under a spreading tree. He sat down in the shade and leaned comfortably against its broad trunk. The tree was very, very old, and it was obvious that it knew much about life. Therefore, he listened attentively when it asked,

"Where are you going? Is there a long way ahead of you?"

"Many days have passed since I set out, and many more will pass before I reach my destination. I seek happiness.

" "Stay with me," the tree replied. "I will bear the sweetest fruit for you, and in winter I will give you shelter from snow and frost in the hollow that birds have carved in me, and in summer you will hide from the heat in the shade of my branches. What more is needed for happiness?"

The traveler thought, pondered, and replied:

"I will seek my happiness again, I will ask the wise man to whom I am going what will make me happy. But if I do not receive an answer, I will return to you."

He continued on, his clogs worn out, and he had to buy himself a new pair. He wandered steadily, heedless of the scorching sun or the raging storms. Summer passed, and the paths he followed were covered with brown and gold leaves.

He reached a vast, wild forest, its entrance guarded by a brown bear.

"Where are you going, man?" asked the bear. "Why do you want to enter my forest?

" "I seek happiness.

" "Stay with me. We will live together in a beautiful forest, awakened each morning by birdsong, and we will drink pure water from the stream. We will spend cool nights in a cozy cave, and our days will pass admiring the wonders of nature. What more could be needed for happiness?"

The man, however, refused the bear's proposal.

"I will go further, if only you will let me pass through your forest. My happiness seems to await me elsewhere. I am going to a sage who will help me find it, but if I fail, I will return to live your life in the forest."

And he set out. The forest was vast, and long weeks passed before the traveler managed to cross it and emerge on the other side. The trees had already shed all their leaves, and some animals were preparing to sleep. Autumn was giving way to winter.

But before the first snow fell and before frost even covered the ground, the man finally reached his destination – a beautiful, opulent house where a sage of great renown lived. Overjoyed, he approached the oak door and knocked loudly, certain that he would soon learn where his happiness lay. And indeed, a dignified old man with a long, gray beard appeared at the door.

"Please come in, friend, and make yourself comfortable in my home," said the sage, leading the man to a room decorated with exquisite tapestries.

"Unfortunately, I don't have time to speak with you right away, but I promise that if you wait for me a few days, I will help you find happiness," added the old man. However, he asked the traveler not to dare leave his room, lest he refuse his help.

The man readily agreed – for what are a few short days of waiting when it comes to happiness? He waited a day, then another, waited a week, but the sage did not come. The following weeks turned into months, and the man still waited. Each morning, upon waking, he found various dishes and wines on the table, and he lacked nothing, but he felt increasingly unhappy. He began to long for the days when he wandered the world and slept under the open sky. Winter was slowly softening, and the air smelled of approaching spring—and the sage was still missing. The man lost hope of learning anything about his happiness and decided to leave. He opened the door and stepped outside. Nature was awakening before his eyes, and the still-tentative rays of the sun warmed his body. He realized then how unhappy he had been these past few days—when, instead of wandering, he had been confined.

"Every man is a sage," he heard a voice behind him. He saw the old man standing in the doorway smiling. "No one really needs my help. Do you still not know where to find happiness?"

"I know," the man replied. "My happiness is wandering. Now I understand that I would be unhappy staying with a peasant I met, working in the fields. Nor is life at a crossroads with a tree for me. Nor is guarding the forest like a bear for me. I now know that all the time I searched for happiness, it was with me.

" "Everyone must find their own happiness; different things bring joy to each person. You are a wanderer, but someone else longs to live a quiet life, to live in one hut their whole life. Remember that happiness is within reach, waiting for us. And we stubbornly look the other way. You have seen it, so go your own way.