Are You Seeing With Your Eyes?

shells on the seashore

a chest of gold and silver

to a collector

Imagine yourself walking on a beach. The sun is high in the sky, and the wind blows through your hair. You feel the warm, soft sand between your toes as you stroll down the seashore. A gleam in the sand catches your eye. Curious, you stoop down and pick up the object, carefully brushing the sand away. In your hands is a seashell, with small circular spirals shaped like a snail. You study it for a moment, admiring its shape and form as you turn it over in your hand. Then, with a shrug, you toss the seashell into the sand and continue your walk.

To be a lifelong learner, you must remember the example of the seashell. On the outside, it may be an ordinary thing, with nothing that gives away its valuable price. Do not trust your eyes. Appearances can be deceiving. That ordinary seashell may contain a pearl of priceless value. And now the opportunity is lost. With one careless gesture, you threw away something that could have changed your life.

The lesson is simple: to grow in knowledge, you must cultivate a desire to love the simple things in your life. It if often the simple things that are the most useful to you. Take for example, the food you eat: simple, plain foods like whole grain bread, grapes, cheese, and olives are far more beneficial to your health than the heavily processed food you find in many convenience stores. And so it is with many things.

Do not shun the ordinary, for under that simple appearance, may be a chest full of gold waiting to be discovered. Be a collector of the simple things you encounter in your life. You will be well rewarded.