One morning, on his way to work, a man decided to turn onto a street he had never driven.  He was not sure where it would lead, but he was heading in the correct direction so he figured it was parallel to the street that he normally drove.

This street was beautiful.  He saw trees that were so large they met from both sides of the street in the middle, making an urban canopy of sorts.   He saw beautiful homes and lawns.  He continued to drive to work as he noticed things that he didn’t think were in his city.  He saw porch swings, and tires handing from trees.  He saw picket fences and well manicured lawns.

He began to wonder why he never had driven on this street before.  It was such a peaceful drive with little other traffic.  As he drove for many more minutes, stopping at the occasional cross walk to let children on their way to school pass by, he realized that this street was not real.  It was as though he created a street for which he wanted to live.

He decided to continue on the drive, although he was very confused.  Periodically, a bird would fly so low that it was almost as though he was being welcomed into the neighborhood.  He saw the sun peeking through the trees, and opened the hatch in the roof of his car to welcome the cool, morning air.

After what seemed like minutes, but in all was nearly an hour, the man began to wonder where this street led.  There were no side streets and he wondered if the street was going to reach a “dead-end.”  He forgot about his job and commitments for the day and continued on the slow, peaceful drive.

Eventually, he reached the “end.”  He could see a beautiful lake with ducks and all sorts of life.   The shore was undisturbed as far as he could see.  The sunrise in the distance reflected the rich colors across the lake.  The man parked his car, and walked to a park bench facing the water.  He sat on the bench enjoying the wonderful scene.

He closed his eyes and nodded off into a deep sleep.  In his dream, he was back at his home getting ready for work.  He said his morning good-byes to his wife and children.  He backed out of his driveway and proceeded to work, taking his normal route.  He arrived a little early, and sat in his car thinking about his life.

He then nodded off to sleep and began to dream about a hidden road.  A road that had beautiful homes and a lake.   He was happy, but something was missing.  He realized that although his neighborhood was beautiful, and his house immaculate, he was still looking for happiness.

He awoke, and went into work at his stable, but sometimes mundane job.  That night, he talked to his family about the dream with the beautiful homes and the magical street.   They all agreed that they would rather have happiness than a big home and lots of things.  He agreed and went to take a walk.

On his walk, he found a plastic bag to hold the trash that he picked up along the way.  He saw lots of homes with weeds and dirt for lawns.   He felt safe and enjoyed his neighbors, for they always said “hello” and wore a smile.   On his way home, he looked between some thick trees to see a small path.

He decided to follow the path to see where it might lead.   He walked for many minutes, to find that it ended at a fence with strands of barbed wire.  There was a broken bucket that he picked up and placed for a make-shift seat.  He sat looking at the parking lot on the other side of the fence, thinking about his life.   He had a good life, and had happiness if he chose to take it.

Then a man walked over to him.   They introduced themselves and began to talk.  The man explained how he once lived on a street that seemed almost magical with beauty, but he found that this neighborhood seemed more “real.”

Just then, the man awoke to find himself lying on the bench by the beautiful lake.  “I’m going to be late for work. I wonder how long I slept.”

He quickly stood and ran to the car, trying to figure out how he could get back to the main road.  A loud beeping sound was blaring in his ear.  He awoke, and shut off his alarm clock.

“Good morning honey,”  his wife said.

“Good morning.  I had the most interesting dream.  It’s a bit confusing to tell, but I think I found happiness.”

“Oh, where was it?”

“Right here inside of this home, and inside of me.”

Ω

InspiraCard

Do not forget the roads that lead to happiness are already in your “neighborhood.”  Fancy homes, cars, and things, do not contain the happiness for which you are seeking.   Happiness comes from inside, knowing that your relationships are without money.  Enjoy what you have and the people in your life, for the “magical street”  for which you seek, is right outside your front door.

Written Fri, May 16, 2014 8:00 – 8:24 AM MT