The Precious Present

The Precious Present
By Spencer Johnson

Once there was a boy
who listened to an old man.
And, thus, began to learn about

The precious Present

â?oIt is a present because it is a gift,â?
the contented man explained.

And it is called
The Precious Present,
because it is the
best present of all.

When the boy asked why,
the old man explained.

â?oIt is the best present a person can receive
because anyone who receives
such a gift is happy
forever.â?

â?oWow!â?
the little boy exclaimed.
â?oI hope someone gives me
The Precious Present.
Maybe I â?~ll get it for Christmas.â?

The boy ran off to play.

And the old man smiled.

He liked to watch the little boy play.

He saw the smile on the youngsterâ?~s face
And heard him laughing
as he swung from a nearby tree.

The boy was happy.

And it was a joy to see.
The old man also liked to watch
the boy work.
He even rose early on Saturday
morning to watch the little laborer
across the street
mow the lawn.
The boy actually whistled
while he worked.
The little child was happy
no matter what he was doing.
It was, indeed, a joy to behold.
When he thought about
what the old man had said, the boy
thought he understood.
He knew about presentsõ?Ư
Like the bicycle
he got for his birthday
and the gifts he found under the tree
on Christmas morning.
But as the boy thought more about it,
he knew.
The joy of toys
never lasts forever.
The boy began to feel uneasy.
õ?oWhat then,õ? he wondered, õ?ois
The Precious Present?
What could be so good õ?Ư
so much better then any other
presentõ?Ư
that it is called The Precious Present?

â?owhat could possibly make me
happy forever?â?
He found it difficult
to even imagine the answer.
And so he returned to ask the old man.
â?oIs The Precious Present a magical ring?
One that I might put on my finger
And make all my wishes come true?â?
â?oNo,â? he was told.
The Precious Present
Has Nothing To Do With
Wishing.
As the boy grew older
he continued to wonder.
He went to the old man.
â?oIs The Precious Present
a flying carpet?â? he inquired.
â?oOne that I could get on and go
any place that I liked?â?
â?oNo,â? the man quietly replied.
When You Have
The Precious Present
You Are Perfectly Content
To Be Where You Are.
Now that the boy was becoming
a young man,
he felt a bit foolish for asking.
But he was uncomfortable.
He began to see that he
Was not achieving what he wanted.
â?oIs The Precious Present,â? he slowly
ventured, â?o a sunken treasure? Perhaps
rare gold coins buried by pirates long
ago?â?
â?oNo, young man,â? the old man
told him.
â?oIt is not.â?

The Richness Is Rare, Indeed,
Butõ?Ư
The Wealth Of The Precious Present
Comes Only From Itself.
The young man thought for a moment.
Then he became annoyed.
õ?oYou told me,õ? the young man said,
õ?othat anyone who receives such a present
would be happy forever.
I never got such a gift as a child.õ?
õ?oI õ?~m afraid you donõ?Tt understand,õ?
the old man responded.
You Already Know
What The Precious Present Is.
You Already Know Where To Find It.
And You Already Know
How It Can Make You Happy.
You Knew It Best
When You Were A Small Child.
You Have Simply Forgotten.
The young man went away
to think.
But as time passed,
He became frustrated, and, finally,
angry.

He eventually confronted
the old man.
?oIf you want me to be happy,?
the young man shouted,
?owhy don?Tt you just tell me
what The Precious Present is??
?oand where to find it ??
the old volleyed.
?oYes, exactly,?
the young man demanded.
?oI would like to,? the old man began.
?oBut I do not have such power.
?oNo one does.
?oOnly you have the power
to make yourself happy,?
the old man said.
?oOnly you.?
The Precious Present
Is Not Something
That Someone Gives You.
It Is A Gift That
You Give Yourself.
The young man was confused,
but determined.
He resolved to find The Precious
Present himself.
And sô?

He packed his bags
He left where he was.
And went elsewhere to look for.
The Precious Present.
After many frustrating years,
the man grew tired
of looking
for The Precious Present.
He had read all the latest books.
And he had looked in The Wall Street
Journal.
He had looked in the mirror.
And into the faces of other people.
He had wanted so much to find
The Precious Present.
He had gone to extraordinary lengths.
He had looked for it
at the tops of mountains
and in cold dark ****s.
He had searched for it
in dense, humid jungles.
And underneath the seas.
But it was all to no avail.
His stressful search
had exhausted him.
Occasionally,
he even became ill.
But he did not know
why.

The man returned
wearily
to the old man â?~s side.
The old man was happy to see him.
They often smiled
and occasionally laughed out loud
together.
The young man liked
to be with the old man.
He felt happy
in his presence.
He guessed that this was because
the old man felt happy
with himself.
It wasnâ?Tt that the old man â?~s life
was so trouble-free
He didnâ?Tt appear to have a lot
of money.
He seemed to be
alone
most of the time.
In fact, there was no apparent reason
why he was happy so much happier
and healthier
than most people.
But happy he was.
And so were those who spent
time with him.
â?oWhy does it feel so good
to be with himâ? the young man
wondered.
â?oWhy?â?
He left wondering.

After many years
the once-young man returned
to inquire further.
He was now very unhappy and
often ill.
He need to talk
with the old man.
But the old man had grown very, very old.
And, all too soon, he spoke
no more.
The wise voice could
no longer
be heard.
The man was alone.
At first, he was saddened
by loss of his old friend.
And then he became frightened
very frightened.
He was afraid that he would never
Learn how to be happy.
Untilõ?Ư
He finally accepted
what had always been true.
He was the only one
who could find his own happiness.
The unhappy man recalled
what the happy old man had told him
so many years ago.
But as hard as he tried
he could not figure it outõ?Ư

He tried to understand
what he had heard.
The Precious Present
Has Nothing To Do
With Wishingõ?Ư
When You Have The Precious Present
You Will Be Perfectly Content
To Be Where You Areõ?Ư
The Richness Of The Precious Present
Comes From Its Own Sourceõ?Ư
The Precious Present Is Not Something
That Someone Gives To Youõ?Ư
It Is Something You Give
To Yourselfõ?Ư
The unhappy man
was now tired of looking for
The Precious Present.
He had grown so tired
of trying
that he simply
stopped
trying.
And then, it happened!
He didnõ?Tt know why it happened
when it happened.
It just õ?Ư happened!

He realized that The Precious
Present was just that:
The present.
Not the past;
and not the future,
but
The Precious Present.
He realized that
the present moment
is always precious.
Not because it is absolutely flawless,
which it often seems not to be.
But because it is
absolutely everything
it is meant to bê?
at that moment.
In an instant
the man was happy.
He realized that he was
In
The Precious present.
He raised both hands triumphantly
Into the cool, fresh air.
He was joyous?
For one moment?