The Fortune Cookie

The Fortune Cookie

I opened the fortune cookie, wondering what trivial statement was contained in the golden delicacy I held in my hand. "Joys are often the shadows cast by sorrows". The 'fortune' was a little less trivial than I thought it would be. I nodded my head. It was easy to see that it was a wise saying. Joy and sorrow are opposing emotions. So they must be shadows of each other.

Then my intellectual mind began to analyze the words. A shadow is an intangible image that is left behind when an object blocks the sunlight. Joy is nothing like sorrow, so it couldn't be its shadow. Sunlight should be what represents the joy, not a shadow.

I pondered all aspects of sorrows, shadows, and joys. I applied each to my own experiences. Sorrows: I have been sad in my life. Deaths and unfortunate events have happened, but I have never been devastated by them. I have never really experienced deep sorrow. Shadows: there have been shadows in my life. I have lived in my father's shadow which has protected me from the harsh heat of the world, as a shadow in the desert would bring relief to a lost wanderer. Joys: I have had many more joys than sorrows; including gifts from God such as my children.

I put the little strip of paper in my pocket. I didn't agree with the words, but they had sent my soul on a journey; a journey that made me re-examine and appreciate my lot in life. The strip would be put into my box of 'little treasures'.