Insanity's Cure: An Epiphany in Five Parts

In the days leading up to his epiphany, there was much talk of loss and desperation. It seems a lonesome librarian had no need for social interaction, but he heard them discuss his sad, almost pathetic state amongst themselves and he knew that they were mocking him not out of some malicious intent but rather out of a particularly curious sense of caring. They didn't want him to be lonesome. They didn't want him to be desperate, clinging to the books he placed on shelves and the stamps he forced inside book covers as his only connection with the real world. He was a quiet soul who would soon make noise.
Bookworm

The epiphany felt like bare feet on sun-drenched sand; it jolted his senses into a most peculiar alertness, one which found him caring more and more about the world around him - and the world outside of the books he held onto so passionately. No longer would he lament the illiterate world outside these walls; no more would he mourn the missing pages in his books. He would write new pages - descriptions of his own exploits and adventures in the real world. This quiet life was not for him anymore. The epiphany dictated this to him in cheerful dreams and hopeful grins.
Somehow alive

How it all began: In a rare bout of human connectivity, he made eye contact with the gentle soul who always checked out self-help books about empowering oneself and overcoming a lack of self-confidence, or some other nonsense. He looked deep into her green eyes, recognizing a bit of genius within them, and boldly proclaimed, "You shouldn't have to read any of this." She scoffed as if offended and then retorted, "Great advice coming from the man who mustered enough courage to look at me for the first time in countless meetings." This was when things got epiphanic. He could feel his eyes dilate - the whole world was larger and brighter and fuller. He could see everything now.
Epiphany

He quit his job to chase a dream. He had yet to realize what that dream was, but he knew he must follow it. One thing was for certain, his dream was not being lived up to this point in his life. So he changed everything. Maybe he'd travel; maybe he'd meet someone; maybe he'd find his dream while chasing it. It's ironic how that works, isn't it?
Chasing the dream

The only trouble with finding your dream after a long pursuit is that you no longer have anything left to chase. Life becomes boring again and you are forced to seek out the next challenge, the next dream to chase. Fortunate for him, he never found his first dream and, lacking the creative ingenuity to devise a set of other goals to pursue, he settled on raising a family. And there was much that is admirable in his attempts at leading a better life. He wasn't alone anymore, his wife overcoming her insecurities to be a working mother to two beautiful children, his friends from the insurance agency hosting parties consistently. No, he never found his dream, but he was happy. Maybe that was all he ever wanted.
Contentment