A father had two little sons, one of whom was an
eternal optimist, while the other was a perpetual pessimist. One Christmas
he decided try to temper both of their proclivities: in addition to their
standard gifts, he told them they'd each get something "chosen
especially for you!"
His plan was to give the pessimist every toy and
game he could possibly desire, while the optimist would be directed to the
basement filled with manure.
On Christmas, after the normal presents were
opened, the father sent the
optimist to the cellar, while leading the
pessimist to the room filled with presents. After the pessimist opened all
the gifts, he turned to his father with a sad face and said: "How can
I possibly use all these?
The TV will wear out, the Nintendo will get
smashed, and all the other toys will be broken!" After a few minutes
of listening to such woe, the father remembered his optimistic son, and
ran to the basement steps.
There in the basement was his other son, swimming
through the manure with a gleeful smile. The father asked him why he was
so happy, to which the boy exclaimed "With this much manure, there
must be a pony in here somewhere!" -Rabbi Arthur Lavinsky
We always have a choice
in determining how we see the world.
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