Yesterday, I turned 27. I feel young and old at the same time. Young- because there are still many years ahead of me (hopefully). Old- because some of my friends are already starting families of their own.
I start reflecting about my life. What have I done? What have I accomplished? What have I overcome?
There once was a very wealthy merchant who had everything he wanted. He hustled day and night to achieve his financial freedom, and was quite satisfied with his result. But one day, he developed a splitting headache that wouldn’t go away. He travelled far and wide to find a cure, but none of the healers were able to get rid of his pain. The merchant was in despair.
“Oh, what good are my possessions if I must constantly suffer from this terrible headache?” he cried. The merchant decided to reward a pot of gold to the person who could cure him.
The reward attracted people from all over town. Each day, hundreds line up in hopes to cure the merchant. Sadly, all of them leave in disappointment. Just as it seemed like all hope was lost, a man named Alexander came up to the merchant and said, “Sir, your headache will disappear if you look at green coloured things.”
Two different men grew up in broken families. They were both molested at a young age and suffered from bullying and poverty. One man became very successful and became a millionaire when he was older. But instead of spending lavishly on himself, he donated most of his money to help others in need. People all over the world asked him, “Sir, could you tell us your secret to success? How did you become the way you are?”
The successful man replied, “With a past like my own, what else could I have done?”
Grow with me 