Coffee Can
The lens through which you look at life determines what you will see. A story I've read elsewhere may clarify this point.
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Once upon a time, a young boy with red curly hair was playing near a highway underpass, when he encountered a poor, ragged old man sitting and smiling down at a coffee can. He seemed very content, but noticing the boy, he waved him over to himself. That was when the boy’s breath was taken away: the old man had the most amazingly sparkling eyes he’d ever seen.
“You look surprised to see me happy? Yet I am the happiest man in the world!” The poor man exclaimed. “Would you like to know my secret?”
“Most certainly, sir,” the boy was very curious.
“Here it is, and I’m going to give it to you!” The man exclaimed. “It is a magic Folger’s coffee can. Fill it to the brim, and you will also be happy forever!’
The boy believed the old man, took the gift and ran home and to his room, where he began to fill the empty can with everything that was important to him: a baseball trophy, his collection of stamps, toy cars and the change in his pocket. Thus began innocently enough the passion of a lifetime.
As he got older, he put his report cards, sports trophies and scout badges in the can. But for some reason, the can was never filled to the brim. He was in a hurry to enjoy the promises the old man under the bridge made him. So he added his favorite meals, the affection of pretty girls and respect of fellow workers to the Folger’s coffee can. Despite the good feelings he got putting his life’s treasures into the can, he realized that it would never be full. Having a loving wife and children, several expensive cars, a prosperous profession and a good deal of influence and respect, he wasn’t completely happy. The boy became an old man, but before he could figure out how to make the secret work for himself, he had a fatal heart attack. The magic Folger’s coffee can fell from his grip and rolled down the street, off the bridge and into a gutter, where it was carried to the front yard where a poor family lived. A young girl dressed in rags saw the can rolling toward her, picked it up and noticed what the man never realized, because he was so preoccupied with the quest of filling the can.
The girl saw that the can had no bottom! All the honors and pleasures and possessions that the man put into the can were lost: he never stopped to look carefully at his life though he was always busy chasing it. The girl, on the other hand, looking through the can saw the sun, a field of flowers, her friends running to greet and play with her, and she called out: “Mama! Mama! I’ve found a treasure! I must be the richest and happiest person living, because the whole world is in my red, round magic Folger’s coffee can.”
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Once upon a time, a young boy with red curly hair was playing near a highway underpass, when he encountered a poor, ragged old man sitting and smiling down at a coffee can. He seemed very content, but noticing the boy, he waved him over to himself. That was when the boy’s breath was taken away: the old man had the most amazingly sparkling eyes he’d ever seen.
“You look surprised to see me happy? Yet I am the happiest man in the world!” The poor man exclaimed. “Would you like to know my secret?”
“Most certainly, sir,” the boy was very curious.
“Here it is, and I’m going to give it to you!” The man exclaimed. “It is a magic Folger’s coffee can. Fill it to the brim, and you will also be happy forever!’
The boy believed the old man, took the gift and ran home and to his room, where he began to fill the empty can with everything that was important to him: a baseball trophy, his collection of stamps, toy cars and the change in his pocket. Thus began innocently enough the passion of a lifetime.
As he got older, he put his report cards, sports trophies and scout badges in the can. But for some reason, the can was never filled to the brim. He was in a hurry to enjoy the promises the old man under the bridge made him. So he added his favorite meals, the affection of pretty girls and respect of fellow workers to the Folger’s coffee can. Despite the good feelings he got putting his life’s treasures into the can, he realized that it would never be full. Having a loving wife and children, several expensive cars, a prosperous profession and a good deal of influence and respect, he wasn’t completely happy. The boy became an old man, but before he could figure out how to make the secret work for himself, he had a fatal heart attack. The magic Folger’s coffee can fell from his grip and rolled down the street, off the bridge and into a gutter, where it was carried to the front yard where a poor family lived. A young girl dressed in rags saw the can rolling toward her, picked it up and noticed what the man never realized, because he was so preoccupied with the quest of filling the can.
The girl saw that the can had no bottom! All the honors and pleasures and possessions that the man put into the can were lost: he never stopped to look carefully at his life though he was always busy chasing it. The girl, on the other hand, looking through the can saw the sun, a field of flowers, her friends running to greet and play with her, and she called out: “Mama! Mama! I’ve found a treasure! I must be the richest and happiest person living, because the whole world is in my red, round magic Folger’s coffee can.”
70-79, MNew
