One day Nasreddin Hodja noticed an unhappy man on the road and asked him what made him worried.

“Nothing in this life makes me happy, my friend,” replied the man.

“I have enough property, but I don’t have any pleasure. I often travel and look for happiness, trying to get pleasure and satisfaction in various places but all my attempts are vain!”

Nasreddin said nothing but all of a sudden grabbed the traveler’s backpack and ran as fast as he could. Since he knew the path well enough he easily left the pursuer behind.

When he realized that the pursuer couldn’t catch him up, Mullah put the backpack down in the middle of the road and waited for the traveler to appear. The man showed up soon, trudging along a winding road in the bright sunshine looking tired and even more miserable because of the loss.

The unlucky man noticed his bag abandoned on the road and cried out with joy.

“This too is one of the ways to achieve happiness,” said Nasreddin. “Often a loss can teach us to appreciate things.”