Periwinkle and Zen

A tale about the search for happiness

It was a long time ago. Back when people understood the language of plants and animals, rivers and wind, when they knew and appreciated their magical power, when they still remembered what happiness, love and love are.

In those glorious times, an inconspicuous bush with blue-blue flowers named Periwinkle lived in a quiet Ukrainian village, near a cozy and elegant hut.

He did not live, but suffered: sometimes the sun will burn him badly, sometimes the girls will cut him off to decorate their wreaths, then the hostess will cut him up and steam them at night to bathe the baby.

I didn’t have luck, fate and even time! Even if you run away from the yard and go look for them!

So, the girl is heading towards him again! Periwinkle fell to the ground and fell asleep. But this time, the beauty did not go to his flower, but to her boyfriend, who was waiting for her near the well.

“I’m so happy, Ivanka, that I loved you,” the blue-eyed man says to the black-browed man. And from him it sounds: “How happy I am, Olenko, that I love you so passionately!”

“Well, there! – thought Periwinkle, – how simple people are: they love, they love – and they are already happy! Their happiness is in love! Who should I love? Who will love me, small and insignificant? Eh, I’m going to drown!” He didn’t even have time to move, as a new face, lit up with a smile and pleasure, swam into the yard. Then the master returned home from the field.

“Be healthy, Ivan! Go, I’ll hug you, daughter! – joyfully greeted the young people, – Happy day today: although there was a lot of work, everything was done and exactly as we wanted! Let’s go to the house to have dinner!”

“Another happy one! – Periwinok once remarked sadly, – Is his happiness in his work? Maybe it would smile at me too, if it knew what I should do? I can’t do anything! Eh, I’m going to study! But for what purpose?”

“Man! – shouted from the house and interrupted periwinkle’s hopeless thoughts, the hostess, – Look, our youngest happiness has died!” – and laughed joyfully, and everyone else in the house along with her.

“You see! – Barvinku thought enviously, – Mrs. Marichka has not even one, but four happinesses, and she is waiting for the fifth one! Her happiness is children and family! Maybe I should have children too? Ah! The beast runs to the hunter!” – the stork Buzko Chornoguzovych was heading towards the well from behind the hut.

People believe that storks bring the souls of newborn babies to their homes. Yes, many storks travel, see many countries, meet many other birds in the sky – Buzko must know something about happiness! So our Periwinkle complained to him about his unhappy fate, and Buzko told him that the greatest happiness for him is to return home, to his homeland, where everything is so familiar, safe, pleasant! But such happiness is not useful to Periwinkle: he has not yet taken a step from his home! But I was already thinking about finding happiness abroad. Won’t the venerable Buzko Chornoguzovich tell him about his travels around the world, as he pleases?

And then our stork remembered an interesting thing: how he had been playing with the main bird of faraway China – the Red Crane, and had already heard a lot about Zen from him. What it is, Chornoguzovych did not understand for sure, but that Zen – as it is known in the world, and the Chinese call it Chan – helps every willing Chinese, or anyone else: even a Ukrainian, like Periwinok, to reach a state of complete happiness! Only it is acquired not so easily, but under certain conditions, about which Buzko knows nothing.

How the periwinkle leaves fluttered! How his flowers shone blue! Here it is! Somewhere far away, in other lands, happiness is distributed almost for nothing! For some trifles: only under certain conditions!

“I want to go to China, where happiness hangs from every tree!” – shouted Periwinkle frantically and entangled the legs of the frightened stork so much that there was no choice but to agree to help Periwinkle reach China.

In the morning they flew away. The road was far: over swamps, forests and mountains of Muscovites. The road was dangerous: those damn Muscovites tried in every way to hit travelers from Ukraine with whatever they could. And what about our Ukraine? Is your taiga not enough?

Somewhere beyond the Urals and closer to Tien Shan, fatigue took its toll and our heroes stopped to rest near some mountain road. It was still under construction and many people were hewing the granite rock to make a way through it… where? While Buzko Chornoguzovich was resting and recovering his strength, Barvinok approached one of the workers and asked what he was doing here?

“I’m digging a rock! Don’t you see?” – the sad and tired man answered angrily.

“And will it be a road?” – still asked the little one.

“And it bypasses me? Never interested. I’m just doing my job: hitting rocks!” – said the man and pounded on the rock so that he almost covered Periwink with rubble.

But our little one was not offended, because he sympathized: that worker was as unhappy as Periwinkle in his yard: nothing pleased him, he saw no meaning either in his work or in his miserable life.

But curiosity is a great force, and it led our hero to another worker, who diligently and faster than the previous one was paving a road in the rock. This one also did not know where the road would lead, but he was happier, because for every meter won in the rock, he was well paid, and he earned for himself “a piece of land and two slaves.” Periwinok did not understand why slaves were here and how they could make him happy, but it was the land of the Muscovites and, he heard, they had many slaves there from time immemorial.

The third mason not only worked, but also sang! The area treated by him was bigger and neater than the previous ones!

“You have such a hard job, and you do it so well and you’re also happy!” – Periwinkle was surprised.

“Yes, I am happy! I’m building a road to the Valley of Plenty! Everyone will be warm and cozy there. Everyone will be rich and free there! And I am among them with my family!”

“He works so hard, but he is the happiest of all! – thought Periwinkle. – Having a meaning in life, seeing a worthy goal and going towards it – is this happiness? Zen knows him! I’ll think about it later!” – and ran to Buzek, because he wanted even harder and even faster to get to China and find Zen there.

To be continued.

Want to know what happened next? Ready to share your impressions? Take a look here.

And how, in your opinion, did the events unfold further? Did Periwinkle find happiness? What is it, periwinkle happiness? And yours? What makes you happy? Are you already living a happy and successful life? Are you interested in the “Path to Success and Happiness” course? Can anyone recommend it?