THE PRECIOUS PRESENT

The story is about a little boy, an old man, and the wisdom that comes with age.
“You have a great gift: the old man tells the boy, “It’s called the precious present’ and it’s the best present a person can receive because anyone who receives such a gift is happy forever.”
“Wow! The little boy said, “I hope someone gives me the precious present. Maybe I’ll get it for Christmas.”
The old man siled as the little boy ran off to play. The little boy was always happy, whistling and smiling as he worked and played/
As years passed, the boy would approach the old man and asked him again and again about the precious present. Afterall, the boy knew about toys. So why couldn’t he figure out what the precious present was? It had to be someone special, he knew, because the old man had said it would bring happiness forever.
“Is it a magical thing?” he asked
“No.” the old man said.
“A flying carpet?”
“No.” the old man quietly replied.
“Sunken treasure left by pirates?” the boy asked. He was now getting older and felt uncomfortable asking. Still, he wanted to know. He had to know.
Finally, the boy, now a young man, became annoyed.
“You told me,” he said, “that anyone who receives such a present would be happy forever. I never got such a gift as a child.”
“I’m afraid you don’t understand,” the old man said.
“If you want me to be happy” the young man shouted, “why don’t you just tell me what the precious present is?”
“And where to find it?” the old man said. “I would like to, but I do not have such power. No one does. Only you have the power to make yourself happy. Only you.”
The young man left, packed his bags, and began a life-long quest for the precious present. He looked everywhere, in caves, jungles, underneath the seas. He read books, looked in the mirror, studied the faces of other people.
But he never found the precious present.
Finally, after many years, when he became an old man, it hit him what the precious present is. It is just that: The Present. Not the past and not the future, but the precious present.
It’s not a toy. It’s not a gift.
It’s the ability to live in the present tense.