The Secret to a Happy Life.

There is something about walking around a busy place after everyone goes home. There is a sense of abandonment. The rush of people hurrying about to get where they are going is gone—even the people sitting and talking about life. The world is empty, and all left is life's bones.

There are all sorts of people that come here. Tall people, short people, old people, young people, moms, fathers, and children. There is always an old man that eats a box of strawberry donuts on the same park bench every Wednesday. And he always leaves just one donut next to him. Then there is the old lady who hides her orange cat in her purse. The cat is always purring so it's kind of hard to hide it. Then there is the little boy that pick-pockets and puts the items back. Then there is the woman that always seems to have flowers, a different one each day. Today it was daffodils, which seems impossible since it's snowing out. Then there is him. I don’t know his name but he shows up once a week at the same time in the same outfit. I wonder where he goes and what he does. For he dresses pretty snazzily for a guy his age. He looks about 20 with slick black hair and golden eyes. Always with a dazzling black suit and tie. Although a different colored tie every time.

All these people all in one place. They all come and live their life. Enjoying their day and creating connections. Then they are all gone. They go to their place with their families. They go and live their life leaving the world behind them. And after everyone’s gone that's when I take a walk and I get to see everything. The world is in its true form.

The tree branches twist and twirl like a dance among the sky. The patches of dead grass from the many picnics. The sidewalk is now clear of people uncovering the colorful world of sidewalk chalk.

You have no idea what you can see when you walk by yourself.

Many people hate it. But that’s just because they hate themselves. If you can’t walk alone, you can’t walk with anyone else.

I love walking by myself. I get to see the world so much more clearly. I get to see all the little details that make the world tick. I can hear it better. The branches shaking in the breeze, the benches whining in the wind, and I can hear the creatures of life. I can also smell the world better. I can smell the freshly fallen snow and the distant smell of lilacs. But most importantly, I can feel it. I can feel the world around me. I can feel it breathing and moving.

I know when it’s sad and I know when it’s happy. The funny thing is that this world is not that hard to understand.

We make up this idea that the world is complicated and that the world is dangerous and that the world is all these other things.

But the fact is that the world is simple. The world wants what everyone else wants. To be loved. To be taken care of. To not be taken advantage of. But to be seen and accepted for what it is. The world just wants what everyone else once it’s that simple.

So I always tell people to walk by themselves and let the world show them its magic. Let the world show you and share with you the secret to a happy life.