Parable: Grateful

     It is up to us whether to be happy for what we have, or to be unhappy for what we don't have.

Jer was sitting in his veranda.

“Such a bad weather, on top of that you are making so much noise”. Jer shouted at his grandchildren.

Suddenly, Jer saw someone coming towards his house through rain.

He looked carefully, straining his eyes. Looking at stranger's worn of cloths, he felt alarmed.

"Stop there, don't come near, what do you want?" Jer shouted

"Sir, I am a sage. I am on my way to another town. But due to storm and rain, I got delayed. I will be extremely grateful if you will give me shelter and little food for night."  Said the sage

"If you are a sage, can't you create your food and shelter for yourself? I heard sages possess some kind of powers, or you are just an impostor sage?" Jer laughed, feeling happy about his own joke.

The sage didn't reply.

"Look, sage - I can't give you food or shelter. I don't earn enough to feed my family, and as you can see my house is no palace."

"I beg your pardon, sir, but your house is large." said the sage, looking around him.

"You lowly sage, telling me that this pest ridden dungeon is nice house. How dare you?"  

Now Jer was trembling with rage.

"I have no intention to anger you sir, but from whatever I can see, I think you have pretty good life going on here. You have this big house, and I guess nice big family too"

The sage glanced at Jer's grandchildren.

Jer shook his head vigorously.

"No, no, no! I have nothing in my life which is going well."

"So, you are telling me you are not grateful about the food in your plate?"

 The sage looked little curious.

"Why should I be grateful? It is just ordinary food, not some king's banquet."  Jer questioned back

"What about your family? Your wife, your children, your grandchildren?"

"Why should I be grateful about my wife? She is an ordinary female, not some angel from heaven. My children are useless - they can't earn dime, but they know how to spend a fortune. My grandchildren are spoilt brats, too. The whole day, they just make so much noise, that it gives me a headache." Jer was getting really, impatient.

"You appear to be in good health. At least you will be grateful about your health, Sir?" Asked the sage

"Don't go by the exterior, I am not as fit as I look. I get stomach cramps, headaches, and frequent chills. I am not grateful about this kind of health."

"So, you are saying that there is nothing in your life that you are grateful about?"   Sage’s curiosity was at peak

"May be I am grateful about being born". Answered Jer, sarcastically

suddenly, Jer realised he is talking to this miserable sage for long. That angered him.

“Sage! Enough of your snooping. Now get going. You are not going to get any food or shelter here."

Sage bowed politely, and left.

Jer went to bed after that.

Next morning, Jer opened his eyes. Suddenly, he realised he was not on his bed, but lying on the roadside. People were walking by him; nobody was giving him any attention. Jer tried to get up and go home, but he couldn't move his body. He felt like a absolute cripple.

"Help me, help me, somebody help me!" Jer tried to scream, but his voice was too weak.

At first, nobody paid him any heed. But Jer kept shouting.

At last, a beggar nearby heard Jer.

"Jer, stop it, or it will anger other beggars, and they will beat you.

"I will stop, please help me go back to my wife, my family, my home?"

"Did you see a dream?  You don't have a family or a home." Said the beggar, looking at Jer

"Not here, but I have family. I have a big house, I have grandchildren, I have a lovely wife"

"You must have had some good dream. I know you since childhood, you are born here. We have always begged together." said the beggar.

"You are lying. I have big house and a big family. I don't belong here."

"Shut up! Don't call me liar. You were born a beggar. And with this kind of health, you will die soon as a beggar." said the beggar in angry voice.

The beggar's behaviour scared Jer. He remained silent after that.

A huge despair came upon Jer. He closed his eyes, and started crying silently.

"Why is this happening? Please take me be back to my family. This can't be my life." Jer cried.

Suddenly he remembered about the last night, about his conversation with mysterious sage.

His mind started asking sage for forgiveness.

"Are you doing this, sage, to teach me a lesson? I have learned my lesson. Please give my life back."

Jer kept begging for his old life.

"Please give my life back. I will grateful for my wife, my children, my house, and the food in my plate, my health -- everything in my life.” Jer begged, and begged. Nothing happened. 

Jer cried throughout the day. Nobody bothered to ask him for food, or even a drop of water. At night, tired and hungry, Jer went to sleep.

In the morning, he opened his eyes afraid to be alive. As he looked around, he realised that he is in bed, and his son is calling him for breakfast. Jer jumped out of his bed. It was a beautiful day. Jer smiled, and felt happy about his life for the first time.