Pssssshhhh...It's story time...Just Listen !!!

The Story of the Pencil

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point, he asked : ' Are you writing a story about what we've done ? Is it a story about me? '
His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson : ' I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I'm using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.'
Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn't seem very special.
'But it's just like any other pencil I've ever seen!'
'That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on to them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.

'First quality : you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.

'Second quality : now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he's much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

'Third quality : the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.

'Fourth quality : what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.

'Finally, the pencil's fifth quality : it always leaves a mark. In just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action.

- As written by Paulo Coelho in his book
"Like the flowing river" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Applause Please!!* for this beautiful piece. Paulo Coelho, my all time favourite author, once again leaves me jaw-opened with this piece. I term his writing as "serene" and "pure". He is the writer, who taught me how to read signs, how to trust in life, and "maktub" - It's written - a belief in destiny and a greater belief in God. My thinking took on a new dimension and ever since I read this, I've been pestering every bookish person I met to read this piece. The extent of truth portrayed with such an aura of simplicity still baffles me... I took some time in typing this from the book, verbatim..I just thought I had to spread this message. Hence this post... :-) :-) A great excuse for contemplation... Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.
My favorites of Paulo's :
Maktub,it's written - "The Alchemist"
Love Simply Is - "The Witch of Porto Bello"
Good and Evil - " The Devil and Miss Prym"
unique=Mad? ! - "Veronica decides to Die"
Perennial Thoughts - "Like a flowing river "
In search of true Love - "The Zahir"

My Dad told me this, when we were into a politically non-conflicting religious discussion. I don't know who quoted this...

"For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary... For those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible...! " [I again go :O :O :O Whoa!! :P ;-) ]


P.S : There was no "This story is from Paulo's Book" and people who have read it already can skip it if you like, at the top, because, I knew quite well that people who have already read it, won't mind reading it fully, a second(nth?) time. . . ;-) :-) :-) Bliss ? ? Of course it is... !~!

- s()MS!e