I recently bought a book that reminded me of these storytelling days - "The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories" compiled and edited by William J. Bennett. It's one of my bedtime books these days.:)
Sharing with you a nice French tale entitled "The Magic Thread" - very apt for those who are restless, impatient and don't know how to enjoy the present moment.
**************
**************
Once there was a boy named Peter who was always dreaming about the future. He found it hard to enjoy whatever he was doing at the moment and was always anticipating the next. In winter, he longed for summer. In summer, he looked forward to skating during winter.
One day, he fell asleep in the forest while dreaming about the future. An old woman woke him up holding a silver ball with a golden thread which she offered to Peter as a gift. She explained that it's a life thread - if you don't touch it, time will pass normally. If you pull a little thread, an hour will pass like a second. But once the thread has been pulled out, you can no longer push it back. Peter excitedly accepted the gift.
The next day, while daydreaming again in class, Peter was scolded by the teacher so he pulled a little thread so class will be over. He pulled a little thread each day until he realized that if he gave it a tug, school altogether will be over. He can then find a job and marry his childhood sweetheart. He kept on tugging it until he got married ... and continued tugging it until his wife gave birth. Everytime the child was sick, he kept on pulling some more thread to make the child well.
Peter and his wife eventually had more kids. Times were hard and he thought that life would be easier if the kids were all grown up and had jobs. He gave the thread a big tug and the next day, he woke up to find that all his kids left home for jobs in different parts of the country. He and his wife have white hair now. They were old and his wife was getting sickly. He couldn't bear to see his wife suffer so he kept pulling some thread. But as soon as one problem was solved, another one appeared. By this time, the ball's thread was no longer gold nor silver but gray.
One day, he went to the forest to think things over and fell asleep. He was awakened by the same old woman who gave him the ball years ago. She asked him, "So have you had a good life?".
Peter answered, "I'm not sure. The magic ball was wonderful. I have never had to suffer or wait for anything in my life. And yet it has all passed so quickly. I feel that I have no time to take in what has happened to me, neither the good things nor the bad. Now there is so little time left. I dare not to pull the thread again for it will bring me to my death."
I won't tell you the ending but here's what Peter wanted at this point in his life: "I should like to live my life again as if for the first time but without the magic ball. Then I will experience the bad things as well as the good without cutting them short, and at least my life will not pass as swiftly and meaninglessly as a daydream."
