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A young boy was walking along a road one day when he spotted a copper
penny shining in the dust. He picked it up and clutched it with
excitement. A penny was his, and it had cost him nothing!
From that day on, wherever he walked, he kept his head down, his eyes
closely surveying the ground for more pennies - and perhaps even greater
treasure. During his lifetime, he found more money to be sure.
In fact, he collected 302 pennies, 24 nickels, 41 dimes, eight
quarters, three half-dollar pieces and one worn-out paper dollar... a
total of $12.82. He kept his treasure safe, protecting it as a "free
legacy" of wealth. He delighted in the fact that the money had cost him
nothing.
Or had it?
In the course of scouting out his treasure, he had
missed seeing the full beauty of 35,127 sunsets, the splendor of 327
rainbows, the beauty of white clouds floating overhead in crystal blue
skies, bird soaring, squirrels hopping from branch to branch in the
trees above the paths on which he walked, the brilliance of autumn
leaves fluttering against a backdrop of autumn sunshine.
What he had acquired - all $12.82 - certainly wasn't equal to what he
had missed. Of course, unlike the little boy, we are not so preoccupied
with gains that are petty as such. We go for bigger things - ambitions,
aspirations, dreams that are pursued on end. But have we ever paused in
the tedium of life, have we ever taken a rest to enjoy living instead of
trying to get a living, of trying to struggle through each and every day?
When was the last time you admired the beauty of the night sky, the
bright shimmer of the shining stars? When was the last time you were
caressed by the gentle winds, strolling in unison with the rustling
leaves? When was the last time you followed the trail of a bird across
the vastness of the blue sky until it disappears into the cover of white
clouds? Or to trail the flight of an airplane whenever you happen to
catch one from the corner of your eye?
In our attempt to live each day with meaning, we ever so often pin our
hopes on the future, on what is going to come, that we forgot about the
present, of this gift of life, of being here now, breathing this minute,
this second. We forget to relax and enjoy life!
Don't ever take Life too
seriously, or you may never get out of it 'a - live'. Stop what you are
doing now and ask yourself what you are working for? You may be facing
certain trials now, be it regarding the never ending pile of work load,
relationships, health, finance ... after all, man's troubles are never
over, so why not take some time off now to observe
your surroundings, to admire the beauty of the work of Mother Nature,
of the intricacies of the work of God. For even the birds are provided
for, why should you worry excessively? Isn't it enough that you have a
place to lay your head down to rest every night ?
Do take an occasional break, keep your heart silent and listen to the
music of the cosmos...
Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is a Mystery
And Today?
Today is a gift
that's why we call it "The Present".
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