The Precious Present

The Precious Present tells the story of a boy and an old man. The boy wondered why the old man was always happy. The old man told him that he was happy because he received the gift of the precious present. Said the old man, "It is the best present a person can receive because anyone who receives such a gift is happy forever." The boy thought to himself, "What gift could be so amazing?" In his quest to find the answer, the boy would often question the old man. Over time, the old man gave answers that confused the boy even more. What gift could be so precious that unlike the toys he had received in the past, this gift could withstand the passage of time?

After many years, the boy grows up. He becomes unhappy when he concludes that he will never have the precious present. But, he then slowly begins to understand. He realizes that "Pain is the difference between what is and what I want it to be." Things start to make sense to him and he eventually receives the gift of the precious present.

This story hits the heart of the matter given the time of year when we have all been focused on the holidays. A time in which we should place greater emphasis on what we hold dear such as our friends and family. Instead, our time and energy has been given to shopping, driving in terrible traffic, and all the other many ways in which we overextend ourselves. We become overwhelmed with what we have to do, what we have to buy, and where we have to be. And then, for many people, we start a new year mired in consumer debt. What price ultimately do we pay in our own well-being?

Read The Precious Present and let it remind you of what is important. Thank you. Special thanks go out to Rita for giving me the precious present.

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