The hard vanilla fortune cookie sits in front of me on the table. The cookie is still encased in a plastic wrapper, keeping me from my future.
I take fortune cookies very seriously. Too seriously. Each one is a little bit different — an ounce of unknown, which has the off chance of giving you wisdom you might just need.

Delicately, I unwrap the plastic, dumping the crescent cookie into my palm. The cookie splits down the center in two perfect pieces. I completely ignore the almond wafer halves for the far more delicious item — the small white strip of paper.
Holding up the thin strip in each of my hands, it reads:
“GO FOR A LONG WALK TO CLEAR YOUR MIND.”
I tuck the paper into my back pocket; I believe leaving your fortunes behind is bad luck. So with the fortune paper safely on my person, I decide that when fate gives you advice, you listen.
That evening, guided by my fortune, I walk until my mind is completely clear under the melting sky of pink and orange.
Have a Bright Spot to share? Send it to Managing Editor Julia Lerner (lernerj@denison.edu). Tell us about the moment that made you smile in under 200 words, and try to include a photograph. We’ll add it to our growing list of Bright Spots on TheReportingProject.org!