Once there was a man

who wished he could be happy

and be on top of the world.

Every morning he would get up and

look out the window and see his neighbor

who always had a smile on his face

and walked with a bounce in his step.

He always seemed so happy.

The man was envious of his neighbor.

”How can he be so upbeat and happy?” he thought.

”How can he be on top of the world every day

when there are so many problems,

so many things to be concerned about?”

One day he could stand it no longer.

He went to his neighbor and said,

”You always seem so happy, so upbeat,

like you are on top of the world all the time.

How do you do it?  What is your secret?”

The neighbor looked at the man and said,

”My friend, just look at you.

You’re all bent over with burdens.

You’re weighed down with worries.

How can you be on top of the world

when you are carrying it on your shoulders?”

The man was stunned.

He went back to his house and looked in the mirror.

He was indeed all bent over.

His neighbor was right.

”Just look at me,” he thought.

”I never realized how I let worry and concerns

weigh me down like this.”

“I will change how I look at things.

I will let go of things I can do nothing about

and focus only on things I have some control over.”

And so he did.

It wasn’t easy but the man’s life changed,

and in time he went to his neighbor.

”Let’s go on a walk together,” he said

And so they did.

They both had a smile on their face

and a bounce in their step.

They sang and rejoiced as they walked.

The sun was shining and birds were singing

and there was a rainbow along the way.

Both men were on top of the world.