This is a story that is both delightful and short
Written by Spencer Johnson M.D.
Once there was a boy..
Who listened to an old man.
And
thus, began to learn about
The Precious Present.
“It is a present because it is
a gift” the contented man explained.
“And
it is precious because anyone who receives such a present is happy forever.”
“Gosh!”
the little boy exclaimed.
“I hope someone gives me The
Precious Present. Maybe I’ll get it for Christmas.”
The
boy ran off to play and the old man smiled.
He
liked to watch the little boy play. He saw the smile on the youngster’s face
and heard him laughing as he swung from a nearby tree.
The
boy was happy.
And
it was a joy to see.
The
old man also liked to watch the boy work.
He even rose early on Saturday
mornings to watch the little laborer mow the lawn across the street.
The boy actually whistled while
he worked.
The little child was happy no
matter what he was doing.
It was indeed a joy to behold.
When
he thought about what the old man had said, the boy thought he understood.
He knew about presents.
Like the bicycle he got for his
birthday and the gifts he found under the tree on Christmas morning.
But as the boy thought more about
it, he knew.
The joy of toys never lasts
forever.
The boy began to feel uneasy.
“What then,” he wondered,
“is The Precious Present? What could possibly make me happy forever?”
He
found it difficult to even imagine the answer.
And so he returned to ask the old
man.
“Is The Present a magical ring?
One that I might put on my finger and make all my wishes come true?”
“No,” he was told
THE PRECIOUS PRESENT HAS NOTHING
TO DO WITH WISHING.
As the boy grew older he
continued to wonder. He went to the old man.
“Is The Precious Present a
flying carpet?” he enquired. “One that I could get on and go any place that
I liked?”
“No,” the old man quietly
replied.
WHEN YOU HAVE THE PRECIOUS
PRESENT YOU WILL BE PERFECTLY CONTENT TO BE WHERE YOU ARE.
The boy was becoming a young man
now, and felt a bit foolish for asking.
But he was uncomfortable.
He began to see that he was not
achieving what he wanted.
“Is The Precious Present,” he
slowly ventured, “a sunken treasure? Perhaps rare gold coins buried by pirates
long ago?”
“No, young man,” the old man
told him. “It is not.”
THE RICHNESS IS RARE, INDEED,
BUT…THE WEALTH OF THE PRESENT COMES ONLY FROM ITSELF.
The young man thought for a
moment. Then he became annoyed.
“You told me,” the young man
said, “that anyone who receives such a present would be happy forever. I never
had such a gift as a child.”
“I’m afraid you don’t
understand,” the old man replied.
YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE
PRECIOUS PRESENT IS. YOU ALREADY KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT AND YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW
IT CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY. YOU KNEW IT BEST WHEN YOU WERE A SMALL CHILD. YOU HAVE
SIMPLY FORGOTTEN.
The young man went away to think.
But as time passed, he became
frustrated and finally angry.
He eventually confronted the old
man.
“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 volleyed.
“Yes exactly,” the young man
demanded.
“ I would like to,” the old
man began, “But I do not have such power. No one does.”
“Only you have the power to
make yourself happy,” the old man said.
“Only you.”
THE PRECIOUS PRESENT IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE GIVES YOU. IT IS A GIFT THAT YOU GIVE YOURSELF.
The young man was confused, but
determined.
He resolved to fine The Precious
Present himself. And so….
He packed his bag. He left where
he was and went elsewhere.
To look, for the Precious
Present.
After many frustrating years, the
man grew tired of looking for The Precious Present.
He read all the latest books and
he looked in The Financial Times.
He looked in the mirror and into
the faces of other people.
He had wanted so much to find The
Precious Present. He had gone to extraordinary lengths. He had looked for it at
the tops of mountains and in cold dark caves. He searched for it in dense, humid
jungles.
And underneath the seas.
But it was all to no avail. His
stressful search had exhausted him. He even became ill occasionally. But he did
not know why. The man returned to the old man’s side. The old man was happy to
see him. They often laughed out loud together. The young man liked to be with
the old man. He felt happy in his presence. He guessed that this was because the
old man felt happy with himself. It wasn’t that the old man’s life was so
trouble-free. He didn’t appear to have a lot of money. He seemed to be alone
most of the time. In fact there was no apparent reason why he was so much
happier and healthier than most people.
But happy he was and so were
those who spent time with him.
“Why does it feel so good to be
with him?” the young man wondered, “Why?”
He left wondering.
After many years, the once-young
man returned to enquire further.
He was now very unhappy and often
ill. He needed to talk with the old man. But the old man had grown very, very
old. And, all to soon, he spoke no more. The wise voice could no longer be
heard.
The man was alone.
At first he was saddened by the
loss of his friend. And then he became frightened. Very frightened. He was
afraid that he would never learn how to be happy. Until….
He finally accepted what had
always been true.
He was the only one who could
find his own happiness.
The unhappy man recalled what the
happy old man had told him so many years ago.
But as hard as he tried he could
not work it out…
He tried to understand what he
had heard.
THE PRESENT HAS NOTHING TO DO
WITH WISHING..
WHEN YOU HAVE THE PRESENT YOU
WILL BE PERFECTLY CONTENT TO BE WHERE YOU ARE…
THE RICHNESS OF THE PRESENT COMES
FROM ITS OWN SOURCE…
THE PRESENT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT
SOMEONE GIVES YOU…
IT IS SOMETHING YOU GIVE TO
YOURSELF…
The unhappy man was now tired of
looking for The Precious Present. He had grown so tired of trying, that he
simply stopped trying. And then it happened! He didn’t know why it happened
when it happened. It just…happened! He realized that The Precious Present was
just that:
THE PRESENT
Not the past; and not the future,
but
THE PRECIOUS PRESENT
And in an instant the man was
happy. He realized that he was in The Precious Present. He raised both
his hands triumphantly into the cool, fresh air. He was joyous…
For one moment…
But then, just as quickly as he
had discovered it, he let the joy of the moment evaporate. He slowly lowered his
hands, touched his forehead and frowned.
The man was unhappy – again.
“Why,” he asked himself,
“didn’t I see the obvious long ago? Why have I missed so many precious
moments? Why has it taken me so long to live in the present?”
As the man remembered his
fruitless travels around the world in his search for The Precious Present, he
knew how much happiness he had lost. He had not experienced what each special
time had to offer. He had missed a great deal. And he felt sad. The man
continued to berate himself. And then he saw what he was doing. He observed that
he was trapped by his guilt about his past.
When he became aware of his
unhappiness and of his being in the past, he returned to the present moment.
And he was happy.
But then the man began to worry
about the future. “Will I, “ he asked, “be able to know the joy of living
in The Precious Present tomorrow?”
Then he saw he was living in the
future and laughed – at himself. He listened to what he now knew. And he heard
the wisdom in his own voice.
IT IS WISE FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT
THE PAST AND TO LEARN FROM MY PAST
BUT IT IS NOT WISE FOR ME TO BE
IN THE PAST FOR THAT IS HOW I LOSE MYSELF
IT IS ALSO WISE TO THINK ABOUT
THE FUTURE AND TO PREPARE FOR MY FUTURE
BUT IT IS NOT WISE FOR ME TO BE
IN THE FUTURE, FOR THAT, TOO, IS HOW I LOSE MYSELF.
AND WHEN I LOSE MYSELF I LOSE
WHAT IS MOST PRECIOUS TO ME
It was so simple. And now he saw
it. The present nourished him
But the man knew it was not going
to be easy. Learning to be in the present was a process he was going to have to
do over and over… again and again….. until it became part of him
Now he knew why he had enjoyed
being with the old man. The old man was totally present when he was with the
younger man. The old man was not thinking about something else or wishing he was
somewhere else. He was fully present. And it felt good to be with such a person.
The younger man smiled to himself, the way the old man used to smile. He knew.
I CAN CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY NOW
OR I CAN TRY TO BE HAPPY WHEN..
OR IF…
The man chose NOW!
And now the man was happy. He
felt at peace with himself. He agreed to savour each moment in his life… the
apparently good and the apparently bad…
Even if he didn’t understand.
For the first time in his life it didn’t matter.
He accepted each of his precious
moments on this planet as
A gift
I KNOW THAT SOME PEOPLE CHOOSE TO
RECEIVE THE PRECIOUS PRESENT WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG. OTHERS IN MIDDLE AGE
AND SOME WHEN THEY ARE VERY OLD
SOME SADLY NEVER DO
I CAN CHOOSE TO RECEIVE THE PRECIOUS PRESENT
WHENEVER I DECIDE TO
As the man sat thinking, he felt
fortunate. He was who he was where he was.
And now he knew!
He would always be who he
was, where he was.
He listened again to his thoughts
THE PRESENT IS WHAT IS.
IT IS VALUABLE.
EVEN IF I DO NOT KNOW WHY.
IT IS ALREADY JUST THE WAY IT IS
SUPPOSED TO BE.
WHEN I SEE THE PRESENT , ACCEPT
THE PRESENT, AND EXPERIENCE THE PRESENT
I AM WELL AND I AM HAPPY
PAIN IS SIMPLY THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
WHAT IS
AND
WHAT I WANT IT TO BE
WHEN I FEEL GUILTY OVER MY
IMPERFECT PAST
OR I AM ANXIOUS OVER MY UNKNOWN
FUTURE
I DO NOT LIVE IN THE PRESENT
I EXPERIENCE PAIN
I MAKE MYSELF ILL
AND I AM UNHAPPY
MY PAST WAS THE PRESENT
AND MY FUTURE WILL BE THE PRESENT
THE PRESENT MOMENT IS THE ONLY REALITY
I EVER EXPERIENCE
AS LONG AS I CONTINUE TO STAY IN
THE PRESENT
I AM HAPPY FOREVER:
BECAUSE FOREVER IS ALWAYS
PRESENT.
THE PRESENT IS SIMPLY WHO I AM
JUST THE WAY I AM…
RIGHT NOW
AND IT IS PRECIOUS
I AM PRECIOUS
I AM THE PRECIOUS PRESENT
It was as though he could hear
the old man talking. And then he smiled. And his smile widened. And he laughed
He felt a great joy.
He knew he was listening, not to
the old man…
But to himself!
It felt good for him to be with
himself – just the way he was.
He felt he knew enough.
He felt he had enough.
He felt he was enough
Now
He had finally found
And he was completely happy.
Several decades later…
The man had grown into a happy,
prosperous and healthy old man.
One day a little girl came by to
talk to him
She liked to listen to “the old
man,” as she called him
It was fun to be with him.
There was something special about
him. But she didn’t know what it was.
One day, the little girl began to
really listen to the old man.
Somehow she sensed something
important in his calm voice.
He seemed very happy.
The little girl couldn’t
understand why.
“How could someone so old,”
she wondered, “be so happy?”
She asked and the old man told
her why.
Then all f a sudden, the little
girl jumped up and squealed with delight!
As the girl ran off to play, the
old man smiled.
For he heard what she had said…
“Gosh!” she said.
“I hope someday, someone gives
me…”