"The container" for sadness

(Baonghean)Sadness is something no one wants. Knowing that, it still comes to us without permission…

The construction worker I hired to renovate my dilapidated house ended his first day of work with considerable frustration and annoyance. First, the roof tiles took him an hour to fix. Then, the saw went on strike, and finally, his old motorbike wouldn't start, leaving him without a way to get home. When I drove him home, he sat motionless, not smiling or speaking the whole way. When we arrived, he invited me to visit his family.

As he approached the door, he suddenly stopped beside a barrel in the front yard for a long time and put something into it—I couldn't see clearly. When his wife opened the door, I was surprised to see that he was no longer the same person as before; he had transformed into a completely different person. His sun-tanned face was radiant with a smile. He hugged his wife and young child tightly, then gently kissed his wife. After a while of chatting, he saw me off. As we passed the barrel, I curiously asked, "What did you put in that barrel just now?"

He laughed, “Oh! That’s my bucket of worries. In life, I know I can’t avoid troubles, and those things certainly shouldn’t be brought home. So, every time I come home from work, I dump all my worries and frustrations into this bucket, and that way, my family life is always happy and joyful.” The construction worker pondered for a moment, then continued, “But you know what? It’s amazing! Every morning when I go to work and stop by the bucket to take away my worries, they seem to have lessened considerably compared to when I left them there, and some are even gone!”

In life, no one can bring us peace except ourselves. Therefore, cast aside all worries before entering your home so that you can always have a happy and peaceful life with your loved ones.

Vo Hoang Nam (Khanh Hoa)