William closed his eyes, the breeze kissing him with a feathery touch. Above, trees swayed in perfect sync with the summer wind. He lay perched on a low-hanging tree branch in his “Beach Position”—legs stretched, body slumped, cradled in nature’s embrace.

He was trying to lower his stress hormones by relaxing. For the past year, his stress had reached alarming levels. His job had made his life miserable, slicing small chunks of life from him and replacing them with money. Money fed his body, but it didn’t fed his soul.

Over the year, he had transformed into a corpse—a living corpse. Thinking about work spiked his blood pressure. His heart pounded in his fragile body. He suspected he might soon have a heart attack. He knew he should stop pondering his job immediately.

Closing his eyes, he began taking deep breaths to halt the ongoing assault on his weary mind. He tried to imagine pleasant things.In his mind’s eye, Will saw an enchanted forest. A winding path led deep into it, peppered with tiny mushrooms along the way. Every inch was enveloped in lush greenery. Somewhere nearby, he heard the hum of a gentle waterfall—water descending from a mighty cliff and losing itself in the depths of the valley below. The sound of the waterfall suddenly changed dramatically.From a cascading downpour, it faded into droplets.

He opened his eyes with a jolt. Something in the sound of the water was strange. He turned his head and looked.

Shht… Psst… Jimmy… Damn animal… Dirty dog.

“Hey, Jim! What the hell are you doing? Don’t you have a nicer place to piss?” William jumped from the tree-branch and ran after the dog.

Jimmy, sensing imminent danger, stopped urinating, jumped onto the neighboring walkway, and escaped.

“Darn it!” Every time.

Will looked at the tarpaulin sheet the dog had soiled. He carefully grabbed the other end of the cover, lifted it, and tossed it into the backyard. After it dried, the housemaid would wash it. He returned to his spot and froze.

From this vantage point, he could see what lay beneath the tarpaulin: a 500cc cruiser motorcycle named Honda Rebel!

Completely covered in dust, it looked neglected. Somewhere in his heart, Will felt a part of himself missing.

A year ago, he had taken a job at a software firm—a rigorous job that promised life but stole all of it and, with it, his happiness.

Before his employment, he had gone on long rides on his motorcycle. He still remembered chasing stars on moonlit night on highways, cruising on his superbike. He could still feel the vibrations of every bump and pothole. The job had stolen all his enjoyment. He literally had no time for long rides. The bike lay there, lifeless, covered in an enormous amount of dust.

As he had stopped riding, his happiness had dwindled day by day. His stress levels had risen, and life had grown worse. Even before the job, there had been hardships, but the joy that cruising brought had overshadowed his problems, and life had seemed better.But now, everything felt like an obstacle.

Today, as his firm was closed for a week to mourn the death of its founder, he had plenty of time to stay home. As he began his leisurely day, he fell asleep, and then this dog incident happened!

A year had passed without even looking at his beloved motorcycle. He took a clean cloth and started wiping the bike. He tried the ignition, but it didn’t start. Twelve months of utter neglect had taken a toll.

He went to the city’s best auto garage and hired the best mechanic he could find. The mechanic replaced the battery, cleaned the engine, changed the engine oil, and refueled it. After all the repairs were done, he gave it a thorough wash.William paid the mechanic a few thousand dollars.

“The bike is all yours. Enjoy,” the mechanic said, giving him a thumbs-up before leaving.

Will looked at the motorcycle. The bright sunlight fell directly on it, and the chrome parts gleamed in the late afternoon sun. He gently flicked the starter switch. The engine roared to life. He let it idle for a few minutes.

Wasting no time, he rushed into his room and grabbed his safety gear. He opened the entrance gate, brought the bike outside the house, and onto the road.

Onto the road—it had been months since this bike had touched the tarmac. He mounted the majestic Honda Rebel and started off.

As he passed the city outskirts and onto the national highway, gusts of wind blasted his face. Every cell in his body seemed to resonate with the thumping roar of the engine. The sudden ups and downs from speed bumps woke his inner self from a long slumber. His hands received an electrifying energy as he accelerated the motorcycle. His legs came alive with every gear shift.He came alive.

Until now, he had been a dead corpse—a corpse that worked ceaselessly day and night in a software company to earn a living. No, to merely exist, like a dustbin, to be used and discarded when the time came. Now, the spark plug of the bike had ignited the life buried within the depths of his soul, covered by layers of dust—just like his motorcycle.

Once he wiped away the dust, his happiness returned.

As William rode under the evening sun, he realized one thing: Happiness cannot be created out of a vacuum. It cannot be tied to a future event or a present blessing. It is undeniably tied to our past. It lies in the things we have done every day that made us happy, even if those activities or things seem small.

It could be anything: a small hobby, a daily errand you do before bed, a few minutes of playing a musical instrument, an everyday chore, going out, spending time with your schoolmates, creating a painting, writing a literary work, photography, cooking, gardening, playing with pets, watching movies, eating out, playing sports, learning a new language, doing charity work, knitting, shopping, traveling, journaling, hiking, dancing—anything. Anything that reignites our lost spark.

Those moments don’t need to demand huge amounts of time. They may be small acts, spanning just a few minutes, but they require consistent daily effort without fail. These smaller moments triumph over our stress, helping us navigate every obstacle and keep us happy.

As William rode his Honda Rebel into the fading sunset, he realized one thing: There is always a past that belongs to us hidden beneath layers of dust that can unlock the floodgates of happiness.