Like a Shadow

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”

Buddha

I believe this. That we are shaped by our thoughts; that we become what we think. But my question is whether we can always truly control our thoughts, whether purity of mind is realistically attainable? Or are these just ideals, I imagine? Probably. I don't know.

What I do know is that I look at the picture above - of a little girl skipping in sunshine, her shadow lovely and loyal, stretched out in her wake - and I smile. In that picture, I see it: Joy.

Do you agree that we become what we think? Do you believe in purity of mind? Where do you glimpse joy in your own life?