An Unending Search for the Ever-elusive X

X marks the spot where my priceless treasure is buried

I pull out my map on occasion then stuff it back in my pocket

I don’t like looking at the map because I don’t want to see what is written there

The map says the journey to the X is long and marked by hazards and difficult terrain

I have to navigate the forest of negativity, wade through the swamp of sorrows,

Trudge over the hills of trials, and overcome countless obstacles along the way

So I look for another X elsewhere

Certainly the map I have is not the only possible route

I’d rather pass over the plains of pleasure, hike along the trail of happiness,

And weather the storms of wealth and abundance

But for all of my seeking, I never arrive

The positive prospects linger in the distance

I run at top speed, only to discover I’ve been running in circles

I collapse in exhaustion and realize that I’m right back where I started

What is the point of pursuing this treasure if it cannot be found and I never get any closer?

If only I dared to look more closely at the map

I was so focused on the big X at the end that I failed to see all of the little X’s along the way

The small x stands for xapa (pronounced chara) which means joy

I don’t have to struggle and strive along the path printed on the map

I can experience joy all along the journey in the midst of the difficulties

Even when trouble lurks on every side

As I sit in the stillness giving in to despair

Hope shines a dim glow over me radiating from a distance

Now is my time to choose

I can continue an unending search for the ever-elusive X

Or I can pull out my map again and follow it