Happiness Isn't Just Around The Corner

The busy traffic, both of people and cars, kept her on edge as she hurried along, her anxiety high for a reason she didn’t understand.

As she turned left to go home, she felt as if, all of a sudden, she had stepped into another dimension.

Here, there were no people, no rush of cars.

No noise.

She stopped short, and her gaze swept around, and her breath caught in her throat.

Where was she?

She glanced up and saw the street signs, and immediately two things struck her as strange.

One was that they had a greenish glow, and the other was their names.

Happiness Street and Sad Avenue.

Who on earth had come up with those street names?

And why?

And, more importantly, what or where was she now?

Her stomach growled with either hunger or anxiety, or both.

Had she gotten into some kind of weird time zone?

Yet, it was those street signs that held her back from taking any action.

A left turn would have her on Happiness Street and a right on Sad.

*****

“Not so simple, right?”

She flinched and jumped a bit, taken aback by the sudden voice that seemed to appear out of thin air.

A hunched-over, bald old man stood by her side dressed in a grey sweater that was askew on his slight frame, and peeking out from under it was a faded blue shirt.

Dirty black trousers that had grey to white spots on them and slip-on loafers completed his look.

Had she said anything out loud?

She didn’t remember.

But the man cared not whether she was confused.

He appeared completely unfazed and let out a low chuckle that seemed to come from somewhere deep within him.

“You’re curious about those street names. And, like most, you want answers. Do you really think there's a trick or a psychological reason behind the naming?”

“Well, I was also wondering —would things change greatly in my life if I turned down one of these streets?”

Now, why in the world was she speaking to him?

*****

“What makes you think that? Why does this seem like such a big thing? I mean —deciding whether to turn left or right, or what the street name might imply, was something that had never once entered your head. But now, seeing those street names, you’re having second thoughts. Right?”

“Something seems off. I mean —here you are —and where are all —” she was bewildered and unsure of her reasoning.

She cocked her head in confusion, suspicious of the man and the situation unfolding before her.

*****

“Do you really believe that taking either street would make a difference in my life?” as she gestured uncertainly in both directions.

“It’s got nothing to do with my beliefs, my dear. Whichever you decide, left or right, Happiness or Sad, could bring disappointments, frustrations, or who knows what. But it inevitably is your decision. No one is forcing you to do anything. But choose you must,” he shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn’t care less, and indeed to her it seemed that way.

*****

She had to clear her throat, unsure what her response should be, if any, and as she shuffled from one foot to another, she looked more carefully at the person, well, the stranger, with whom she was having this crazy conversation.

What the hell?

What was going on?

He was becoming as changeable as the wind.

Constantly shifting in his appearance.

From an elderly man who was stumbling around to a young man who was practically a contender for a heavyweight competition.

Was she going crazy?

Should she just ignore this apparition and —.

Why not just turn left onto Happiness Street?

“ Go ahead,” his right arm lifted and made a continuous gesture in the direction of Sad Street.

“Walk down that street first. Walk a few paces and come back here. Tell me what you observed.”

“Is that a dare? Are you daring me?” she said, still unsettled by the ever-changing form.

What was the matter with her?

Was this in her head?

Was she dreaming?

As if to fend off whatever it was, she shook her head wildly, twisting it from side to side.

Her basic instinct was to step toward Happiness Street.

*****

But strangely, as if being propelled by some unseen hand, she knew she would do as the old man suggested and move toward Sad Avenue.

Those first steps were like stepping onto an ice pond in old shoes with worn-down soles.

She slipped and lost her balance, but quickly regained it as she heard a new voice near her.

“Oh no, deary, don’t fall, please,” said a woman who approached her with a tiny furry dog on a leash.

“You see, I could never pick you up —what with my bad back.”

She prepared to move aside to give the woman and dog room, but the animal stopped to sniff at her, and the woman said, “ Sad Avenue is so nice, don’t you think? A good day to be out walking, don’t you think?”

Still cautious, she could only nod and move forward, and turned her head to watch as the two continued down the sidewalk.

*****

The smell of fresh bread hit her senses, which reminded her of how hungry she was.

She eagerly rushed towards the bakery two doors down and couldn’t resist buying two bagels, two rolls, and a croissant stuffed with chocolate.

She left the store with a sense of--.

Was that a feeling of well-being?

She felt the warmth of the bag, smelled the fragrance of the fresh-baked goods, and took delight in the sense of happiness that filled her.

She strolled back to the corner where she first encountered the old man.

But–he was gone.

And in his place was the rush of people and the swoosh of tires of the cars that streamed across the road.

He was gone!

It didn’t matter.

She, though, had learned a lesson.

It didn’t matter which way she turned, left or right, or which avenue she strolled on —she could make her own happiness.