Peter and the Magic Thread.

Peter was a very lively

little boy. Everyone loved him: his family, his teachers and his

friends. But he did have one weakness."

"What was that?"

"Peter could never live in the moment He had not learned to

enjoy the process of life. When he was in school, he dreamed of

being outside playing. When he was outside playing he dreamed of

his summer vacation. Peter constantly daydreamed, never taking

the time to savor the special moments that filled his days. One

morning, Peter was out walking in a forest near his home. Feeling

tired, he decided to rest on a patch of grass and eventually dozed

off. After only a few minutes of deep sleep, he heard someone

calling 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 over 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 minutes. 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?' he

asked. The elderly woman quickly reached down and gave the ball

with the magic thread to the young boy.

The next day, Peter was sitting in the classroom 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 his garden. Realizing the power of the magic

thread, Peter soon grew tired of being a schoolboy and longed to

be a teenager, with all the excitement that phase of life would

bring. So again he pulled out the ball and pulled hard on the golden

thread.

Suddenly he was a teenager with a very pretty young

girlfriend named Elise. But Peter still wasn't content. He had

never learned to enjoy the moment and to explore the simple

wonders of every stage of his life. Instead, he dreamed of being an

adult. So again he pulled on 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. But Peter also noticed

something else. His once jet black hair had started to turn grey.

And his once youthful mother whom he loved so dearly had grown

old and frail. Yet Peter still could not live in the moment. He had

never learned to 'live in the now' So, once again, he pulled on the

magic thread and waited for the changes to appear.

Peter now found that he was a ninety-year-old man. His thick

dark hair had turned white as snow and his beautiful young wife

Elise had also grown old and had 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 or taken a moonlight stroll

with Elise. He had never planted a garden or read those

wonderful books his mother had loved to read. Instead, he had

hurried through life, never resting to see all that was good along

the way.

Peter became very sad at this discovery. He decided to go out

to the forest where he used to walk as a boy to clear his head and

warm his spirit. As he entered the forest, he noticed that the little

saplings of his childhood had grown into mighty oaks. The forest

itself had matured into a paradise of nature. He lay down on a

small patch of grass and fell into a deep slumber. After only a

minute, he heard someone calling out to him. 'Peter! Peter!' cried

the voice. He looked up in astonishment to see that it was none

other than the old woman who had given him the ball with the

magic golden thread many years earlier.

'How 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 have been sad times as well as great times but I

haven't 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 his deep sleep.

Again he heard someone calling his name and opened his eyes.

'Who could it be this time?' he wondered. When he opened his

eyes, he was absolutely delighted to see his mother standing over

his bedside. She looked young, healthy and radiant. Peter realized

that the strange woman of the forest had indeed granted his wish

and he had returned to his former life.

'Hurry up Peter. You sleep too much. Your dreams will make

you late for school if you don't get up right this minute,' 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."