So where is Waldo, really?

            So where’s Waldo really? I wish I knew. This was the prompt I was given with no further instructions on a college application. I was immediately intrigued and excited. It took me a long time to decide what route I wanted to take when I approached this prompt. There were so many variations and possibilities I had a very hard time. The worst part was that there is no wrong answer.

So where is Waldo, really?

            Where’s Waldo? Well, on page two he can be found in the top left corner behind the grinning clown and next to the elephant flaunting a pink tutu.  Then again on the next page, you can find him dead center between the boy building a sand castle and the woman tanning on her red towel. Simple as that. But where’s Waldo, really? That’s a little more complicated. I believe the correct question would be: where isn’t Waldo?

            Throughout our lives, similar to how we seek Waldo, we seek happiness. On every page, if we take a minute to slow down, we can easily find Waldo. He is everywhere. The difficulty comes in recognizing when we stumble upon him. As we scan the page, we see all the things that are not Waldo. Our tendency to focus on the negative aspects of life causes our failure to recognize the happiness that is all around us.

            What is most often overlooked is the happiness we already possess. We have each embarked on this endless journey to find Waldo. Then, once we have found him, we feel compelled to turn the page only to lose him all over again. And so the cycle goes. Why do we do this to ourselves? We engage in a battle that has no end. A battle that cannot be won. Yet, we continue to turn the page.  The only logical explanation for this is that the satisfaction of finally finding Waldo is worth the struggle.

            As we live our lives in the pursuit of happiness, we live our lives in the pursuit of Waldo.  However, the pursuit must be slowed so that we can enjoy the happiness which we have already acquired. Beneath the gorilla swinging on a vine and next to the panther, you will find Waldo. You will also find him in a smile. Waldo is everywhere.