One afternoon, an old cat came across a young kitten spinning in circles, desperately trying to catch his own tail.
The kitten turned faster and faster. He stumbled, rolled across the grass, jumped back up, and immediately started chasing it again.
The old cat watched for a while before asking:
“Why are you working so hard to catch your tail?”
The kitten stopped just long enough to answer.
“Someone told me that my happiness is hidden in my tail. So if I can finally catch it, I’ll be happy.”
The old cat smiled the quiet, knowing smile that comes only with age.
“When I was young, someone told me the same thing,” he said. “I spent days chasing my tail. I barely stopped to eat or drink. I ran until I was exhausted, fell down, got back up, and tried all over again.”
The kitten stared at him.
“Did you ever catch it?”
“No,” said the old cat. “Eventually, I became tired of chasing it. So I gave up and simply started walking forward.”
“And then what happened?” the kitten asked.
“I discovered something important,” the old cat replied. “No matter where I went, my tail followed right behind me.”
Sometimes happiness works the same way.
The more desperately we chase it through money, attention, success, possessions, or other people’s approval, the farther away it seems.
But when we stop running in circles and begin living with purpose, gratitude, and curiosity, happiness often finds its place beside us.
Not because we finally caught it.
Because we finally learned how to move forward.