The Mirror Town's Secret
Rea,
Have you noticed how your mood can change the way you see things? Like when you’re having a bad day, suddenly everything seems to go wrong — even the small stuff that usually wouldn’t bother you. Or when you’re happy, those same little things don’t seem like problems at all. Here’s an old Zen story about two travelers that shows exactly how this works.
One day, a traveler came to visit a Zen master. “I’m thinking of moving to this town,” the traveler said. “What’s it like here?”
The Zen master asked, “What was your old town like?”
“It was awful,” the traveler replied. “Everyone was mean and unfriendly. I couldn’t wait to leave.”
The Zen master thought for a moment and said, “This town is very much the same. You probably won’t like it here either.”
Later that day, another traveler came with the exact same question: “I’m thinking of moving to this town. What’s it like?”
Again, the Zen master asked, “What was your old town like?”
But this traveler’s eyes lit up. “It was great! The people were friendly, and I made lots of good friends. I’m just ready for a change.”
The Zen master smiled and said, “This town is very much the same. You’ll probably like it here too.”
You know how sometimes the same situation can feel totally different depending on how you look at it? Like how a big test can feel scary if you think about failing, but exciting if you think about showing what you’ve learned? That’s what this story is about.
The town hadn’t changed — it was the same place for both travelers. What was different was how they looked at things. The first traveler was used to seeing problems everywhere, so that’s what they found. The second traveler was used to finding friendly people, so they found those too.
It’s kind of like being a detective. If you’re looking for clues about why people are mean, you’ll find them. But if you’re looking for clues about why people are nice, you’ll find those instead. The cool thing is — you get to choose what kind of detective you want to be.
Next time you’re in a new situation — maybe a new class, or camp, or anywhere really — remember the two travelers. The things you look for are usually the things you find.
Love, Abba
P.S. Want to try an experiment? Tomorrow at school, try looking for three nice things about your day. You might be surprised by how many more you start noticing!
