The Precious Present
Elderly man in Florence, Italy. Photograph by Matteo Vistocco, Unsplash. An old man in the neighborhood was peaceful. Neighbors wondered what his secret was. He was not healthy or wealthy. Having no family nearby, he spent much of his day alone. But he expressed genuine interest in all around him, and he seemed to relish each new day. When a young boy asked him why he was so happy, the man replied that it was because he had the precious present. The boy wondered what the present could be. Could it be a bicycle? Some other great toy? He wished he could have the same gift. Over years, the old man offered clues to help the boy discover the secret to what the “precious present” meant: “The present has nothing to do with wishing.” “When you have the present, you will be perfectly content to be where you are.” “The present is not something that someone gives you. It is something that you give to yourself.” Then one day it dawned on the boy what the old man m