Welcome to the happiness podcast. I'm Dr. Robert Puff.

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite series that I really enjoyed on television and in the books is called Little House on the Prairie by Laura Inger Wilder.

It's a great series about people exploring the early development of the United States and

moving into places that were very rural. Well, when they were back in those times and they had to find

their way to their new living abode, well when those first wagons arrived at the prairie,

it was wide open. There weren't any trails yet. So the first

wagon had to make a choice. Hmm. Which way do we go? And it went a certain way, it headed

out west, and then the next wagon came along and said which way do we go.

Well it's a lot harder to start a new trail than it is to go on one that already

pre-existed. So they went on the trail that the previous wagon went on,

then the next one, then the next one.

So with time there creates a trail, a trail to the west,

and each wagon keeps going on that same trail,

because it's a lot easier. It's used to it.

They've been there before. They're going to do it again.

But let's say, for whatever reason, this Wagon Trail is leaving to Death Valley instead of the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Well, that's not a good thing. So when one

way can finally figures it out and says, okay, if I take this trail, I'm going to end up

in Death Valley, not good. I have to start a new trail. Well the problem with that is it sounds

great but it's a lot harder to start a new trail than it is to go on an old trail. So if it starts

on that new trail it's going to be very attractive to head towards that old trail,

even though it's going to Death Valley.

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