What is the most inexpensive happiness you have ever paid for? Can you imagine that I recover from suffering, pull myself back to track, make clear of my future direction, and feel truly happy living just by RMB 0.4, 0.06 in US dollar? It is all true. In the world I come from, $0.06 is the charge of a steamed bun, the price of a fine meal for fancy carps in a nearby lake, also the cost of a simple ceremony that to me, means a lot and priceless.
The first time I stopped by the lake and got enchanted by the beauty of fancy carps was one year ago, a soft bright day in spring. The lack of inspiration to compose a new post for the school magazine kept bothering me. I began to blame the world for it showed little beauty by placing me in a tiny and dull school where everybody only thought of grades and exams, by abandoning me in a huge and cold city where aloofness spread like disease. Then I walked to this lake, which I would pass by every day after school. There was an old woman who was dropping breadcrumbs into the water. The scene that dozens of carps were waggling, breaking water and snatching food indeed shocked me, and their dances, the colors on their scales enamored me. I never realized that there were so many little fairies living in this dark water. The old lady told me, they would never let you see them unless you gave a little "snacks." This whole thing struck me: I can never blame the world for not providing me beauty or inspiration. In fact, beauty never jumps out to hug me. It appears only when I do something to find it, and it lays everywhere, most of the places I think it impossible to find its figure. Since then I understood more about inspiration, and of course, I did well in that article for magazine. What is more significant, I began to examine myself rather than to shift the blame to anything else when facing failures or brittle moments.
Soon I was the one who regularly fed the carps, and I made friends with them, even giving names to special ones that I could recognize, for I really enjoyed the time I spent by the lake - the only educational happiness I found, and it was so beautiful. The last time I visited my little friends, they helped me set up a life-goal, a dream that I shall devote at least four years to. It is no surprise that a senior student would declare a major for college years and think of a career, but here came my problem. Everybody expected me to study finance and be a banker for I was good at math. However, I could not shake off the dream that had rooted in my heart for 6 years - a filmmaker. "Which path is exactly the right track for me?" I stood by the lake and kept asking myself. Watching my friends struggling to reach food gave me the answer. Fighting each other for food is the nature of carps, and nature is something that even humans can never avoid. You can turn your face off your nature, your passion and your dream, but they never leave. I might do well as a banker, dealing with figures and functions years and years over, earning high salary, but the word "filmmaker" would always echo in my head, distracting happiness from my whole life. Do I have to live a so-called successful life in others' eyes by denying where my nature truly lays? I must say no. I felt strength aroused in my body and I wished I could kiss my naïve friends, who were still raising themselves out of water for the delicious bread.
Life is like this. We understand the word "happiness" by feeding carps with a $0.06 bun, rather than by earning $60,000 a month as a banker. We see what is significant from what seems ordinary. I now believe that only having a unique experience cannot shape a person special, but what he learns from everything that has occurred. However, it needs action to realize all of my understandings. Now you see this essay, and it tells everything I have already done to chase my dream. Yes, my parents support my idea and promise to finance my education; teachers wish me good luck on the road I chose though they must feel regrettable. The most important point is, I find the happiness of my own, and will do anything to make it happen.
Wow, great essay. You kept the image of the fish there throughout the essay after introducing them to the reader. I am impressed with your deep reflection. I want to tell you one important thing: I think that the plural of "carp" is just "carp," with no s on the end.
Well, you helped me by demonstrating a great way to remind people to keep positive states of mind: your enlightened choice of a user name. I think "rejoice" is a great user-name, and it reminds me to keep a good state of mind.
Also, you can always thank us for our help by giving your own help to other members in the forum.
:)
Kevin
