A tender riddle

«Look Marcella, do I have it in my hand?»

«What is it Cri, what is it about?»

«I’m so glad I grabbed it, I’m afraid I’ll lose it if I mention it.»

«Okay-dokay, I’m not following you, but try to make me understand, at least.»

«All right! You know when suddenly you feel magically light, like a red balloon just escaped from the hands of a child and you fly free in the sky?»

«Hmmm, honestly no, during the lockdown I also got heavy and I think I ate that balloon. So, do you have the recipe for weight loss inside that punch? Come on… tell me yes!»

«Ha ha ha… no Marcy, I didn’t make myself clear. So I’ll try again: when you have it in your hand, you’d like to shout it out to the whole world, because your heart breaks, you feel like drunk without having drunk… and then… I’ll give you another little help… it’s gender feminine singular but good for everyone.»

«Cri, are you high? You mean you have drugs in that hand?»

«Come on… what are you saying? You know what I think about drugs and above all you know that I don’t use them. Ok, I give up… come closer, I’m going to open my hand and I’ll show you what it is.»

✊🏻The fist looses its grip✋🏻

«There’s nothing in here!»

«Well I knew it, it got out of my hand. This was my fear! I finally touched happiness with my hand and I wanted it to last forever, that’s why I was holding it tight.»

«Oh my friend, so you were guarding happiness? If you had told me immediately, I would have reassured you that happiness cannot be held back but only lived and I’ll tell you more: if you had immediately shared it, it would have lasted longer. But don’t worry, it will come back again and next time instead holding it, breathe it in, so something will always remain inside of you.»

Happiness comes with a thousand disguises and unfortunately we don’t always realize that we have right before our eyes, perhaps for this very reason, we should stop looking for it.