Always be vigilant to seize the opportunities around you

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Here is a story by Divya Anand to be always vigilant.

 

THE TOUCHSTONE

 

When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one

book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man,

who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers. The book wasn't

very interesting, but between its pages there was something very

interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was

written the secret of the " Touchstone " ! The touchstone was a small

pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing

explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other

pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The

real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold. So the

man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on

the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up

ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he

might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one

that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing

this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this

way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another.

Throw it into the sea. The days stretched into weeks and the weeks

into months. One day, however, about midafternoon, he picked up a

pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized

what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each

pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still

threw it away.! REFLECTION So it is with opportunity. Unless we are

vigilant, it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in

hand and it's just as easy to throw it away. Wise men make more

opportunities than they find! Like an eagle, be vigilant to make use

of the opportunities around you. Everyday is an opportunity in front

of you for making new beginnings and happy endings.

 

Hari Om!!

Divya Anand