Celebrate Life

THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS

A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad came upon a beautiful castle where the wise man lived.
The wise man was very busy, and the boy had to wait for two hours before he could meet him. The wise man told the boy that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours. “Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something”, said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill”.
The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was. “Well”, asked the wise man, “Did you see and enjoy the various things in and around my world?”
The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him. “Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,” said the wise man.
Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains, the beauty of the flowers, and so on. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.
“But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you”, said the wisest of wise men. “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon”.

– Paul Coelho in ‘The Alchemist

Great Day ahead.