Two men traveled the same path. They walked through forests, rivers, mountains and deserts. They encountered many dangers on their journey. In the forest they were hunted and attacked by wolves. While crossing a river they nearly drowned. In the mountains they were pummeled by furious storms, and more than once, death looked like a reward. In the desert the sun plagued them like stinging hornets. Hunger gnawed them to the bone.
One of the men whined and complained the whole time, about everything, and was miserable. He was constantly stressed, worried and afraid, and wished he had not taken the journey. The other man was at peace. He was cheerful, carefree and lighthearted and looked upon each day like a warrior who understands the value of a worthy opponent. For him, life was an adventure from which he harvested its fruits.
After many days, while coming out of the desert towards evening and approaching a small village, they were robbed.
The miserable man became despondent, then bitter and began raging about their misfortune and the evil people in the world. He raged so much he became sick. The other man was at peace, even joyful and happy, though he was careful to hide it–just a little.
While the miserable man was recovering from his anxiety attack , he wondered at the happy man’s attitude. He couldn’t understand how anyone could be at peace and even happy during such punishing experiences. Curious, he asked the happy man how he came to be that way.
The happy man removed an old piece of leather from his pocket and handed it to the miserable man and said, “Because of this.”
The miserable man untied the small scroll and read, “Thank you for this experience.”
The happy man explained, “Several years ago I was like you, just a right-down miserable fellow. I got in bad moods, upset and angry over everything that went wrong, over everything that didn’t please me. One day a man came into my shop and, seeing my unhappiness, handed me that piece of leather with those words on it, and shared what he called a ‘great secret.’”
“What secret?” asked the miserable man.
“He told me that the more thankful a person is, the happier he is. He told me that people who are thankful in all things, are happy in all things. He told me that if I would be thankful, even during my troubles, I would not only be happier, but I would have a spiritual awakening. He called it The Miracle. He said that after I experienced The Miracle I would always be at peace, joyful and happy.”
“That’s crazy,” said the miserable man, “a blessing? a miracle? that makes you happy all the time?”
“That’s what I thought, at first,” said the happy man, “but I had nothing to lose, just like you, so I tried it, and it worked. I started saying the words, ‘Thank you for this experience,’ after every experience I had, even the ones that made me mad, and I became happier. It wasn’t long before I experienced The Miracle. And that’s the reason I’m happy all the time no matter what.”
“Well I’m not going to say ‘thank you’ for things that drive me crazy hoping to get some supposed blessing or miracle,” said the miserable man as he shoved the leather scroll towards the happy man. “And you can keep this too!”
“No. You keep it,” said the happy man. “It’s a habit for me to say thank you for my experiences, and who knows, you may want to try it, after all, you have nothing to lose but your misery.
As the sun set the two men entered the village on the same path but worlds apart.
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