Peter And The Magic Thread

Peter was a very lively boy. Everyone loved him: his family, his teachers and his friends. But he had one weakness.

Peter could never live in the moment. He had not learned to enjoy the process of life. When he was in school, he dreamt of being outside playing. When he was outside playing, he dreamt of his summer vacation. Peter constantly daydreamed, never taking the time to savor the special moments that filled his days.

One morning, Peter was walking out in a forest near his home. Feeling tired, he decided to rest on a patch of grass and eventually dozed off. After a few mins of deep slumber, he heard someone calling out his name. "Peter, Peter!" came the shrill voice from above. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was startled to see a striking woman standing above him. She must have been a hundred years old and her snow-white hair dangled well below her shoulders like a matted blanket of wool. In this woman's wrinkled hand was a magical little ball with a hole in the center and out of the hole dangled a long golden thread.

"Peter", she said, ' this is the thread of your life. If you pull the thread just a bit, an hour will pass in seconds. If you pull a little harder, whole days will pass in minuted. And if you pull with all your might, months- even years- will pass by in days.' Peter grew very excited at this discovery. 'I'd like to have it if I may?' Peter asked. The elderly woman quickly reached down and gave the ball to Peter.

The next day, Peter was sitting in class feeling restless and bored. Suddenly, he remembered his new toy. As he pulled a little bit of the golden thread, he quickly found himself at home, playing in the garden. Realizing the power of the magic thread, Peter soon grew tired of being a school boy and longed to be a teenager; with all the excitement that phase of life would bring. so again, he pulled hard on the golden thread.

Suddenly, he was a teenager with a very pretty girlfriend named Elise. But Peter still wasn't content. He had never learned to enjoy the moment and to explore the simple wonders of each stage of his life. Instead, he dreamed of being an adult. So again he pulled the thread and many years whizzed by in an instant. Now he found that he had been transformed into a middle-aged adult. Elise was now his wife and Peter was surrounded with a houseful of kids. Peter also noticed that his once black hair has turned to grey. And his youthful mother whom he loved so dearly had grown old and frail. Yet Peter still could not 'live in the now'. So, once again he pulled the magic thread and waited for changes to appear.

Peter was now a 99 year old man. His thick dark hair turned white and his beautiful young wife had also grown old and passed away a few years earlier. His wonderful children had grown up and left home to lead lives of their own. For the first time in his entire life, Peter realized that he had not taken the time to embrace the wonders of living. He had never gone fishing with his kids nor took a stroll in the park with Elise. Neither has he planted a garden or read a book. Instead, he hurried through life, never resting to see all that was good along the way.

Peter became very sad at the discovery. He decided to go out to the forest where he used to walk as a little boy to clear his head and warm his spirit. The forest itself had matured into a paradise of nature. He lay down on a small patch of grass and fell into deep slumber. After only a minute, he heard someone calling out to him. He looked up in astonishment to see that it was none other than the old woman who had given him the ball with the golden thread many years earlier.

"Have you enjoyed my special gift?' she asked.

Peter was direct in his reply. ' At first it was fun but now I hate it. My whole life has passed before my eyes without giving me the chance to enjoy it. Sure, there would be sad times as well as great times but I havent had the chance to experience either. I feel empty inside. i have missed the gift of living.'

'You are very ungrateful.' said the old woman. 'Still, I will give you one last wish.'

Peter thought for an instant and then answered hastily ' I'd like to go back to being a schoolboy and live my life over again.' He then returned to deep sleep.

Again he heard someone calling out his name. 'Who could it be this time' he wondered. When he opened his eyes, he was extremely delighted to see his mother standing over his bed side. She looked young, healthy and radiant. Peter realized that the strange woman had indeed granted his wish and he had returned to his former life.

'Hurry up Peter. You will be late for school if you don't get up right now' his mother admonished. Needless to say, Peter dashed out of bed on this morning and began to live the way he had hoped. Peter went on to live a full life, one rich with many delights, joys and triumphs, but it all started when he stopped sacrificing the present for the future and began to live in the moment.