“What seems like a blessing may be a curse. What seems like a curse may be a blessing” (Izzy Ch.1). The quote is a Chinese idiom that depicts the changes that life offers. These changes are endless and their mystery is hard to fathom. It helps in understanding that life should be taken each step at a time since things which seem disastrous could turn otherwise while those that appear good could be quite the opposite. This statement interests me since it contains a timely advice for people who particularly live in the present. The author for instance, turned his talent of storytelling to earn a livelihood for him and his family. Unexpectedly, what he had counted as a fortune turned into a curse when he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and woke up from surgery with damaged vocal cords. He had lost the most precious thing he possessed; his voice. Interesting, what had appeared to be a blessing was now a curse. Deprived of his artistic instrument and a source of livelihood, the author learns how to become happy despite the loss. This is a great lesson that can be learnt, that things do not always turn to be the way they seem. The general story told by a professional storyteller depicts a twist of fate where he lost his only source of livelihood since he could no longer speak. From his tale, one could evaluate his or her personal life and identify some instances of twists of fate to understand that life changes could be the secret to happiness. One could suffer a great loss in life, but gain insight from the experience to ultimately help in self-discovery. Therefore, it is essential to pursue happiness irrespective of what life offers to us. Our lost treasures could find us wisdom and eventually, happiness. From a personal experience, Izzy ben Joel story on ‘The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness’ resonates with my life. It was during a summer afternoon when my friends invited me for a birthday party some miles away from my home. I was so excited to attend the party, having bought new clothes and gifts to show off. However, my parents did not like the idea and they delayed me by demanding me to perform some home chores. Besides, my mother insisted on giving me some advice on how i should conduct myself at the party and avoid peer influence. This even made me more furious since I was getting late. When I went to board the train, it had already left half an hour ago. I felt a wave of disgust slapping my entire body. I hated my parents for this and swore not to utter a word to them when I got back home. That evening, we received some news that the celebration came to a sudden when fire broke out in the premises. Some of the attendants I knew well were badly wounded and incapacitated while others lost their lives. This was a lesson well learnt that “What seems like a blessing may be a curse. What seems like a curse may be a blessing” (Izzy Ch.1). It was a twist of fate that helped me to take things as they come and made me realize the secret to happiness; that the lost horse could become a blessing to me just the way I had lost a fun moment with my friends, only to evade an unforeseen disaster. Work Cited Izzy, Joel. The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness . New York: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005. Print.