An old wise woman had been traveling in the mountains for several days. One morning, as she stood by a stream to draw water, the shine of one of the stones caught her attention. She put her jug aside to try to reach it. As soon as she managed to do so, she held the stone up to the sun to get a better look at it, informs Ukr.Media.
It turned out to be a rare pearl. She knew many merchants who would trade all their possessions for it. That was how great its price was. But despite this, there was something else hidden in the pearl – purity and elegance. The morning light passed through the jewel as if it were still under water. After admiring the pearl a little longer, the woman silently thanked fate for the find and put it in her bag, continuing on her way.
Soon on her way she met another traveler, a young man who was very tired and hungry. They exchanged a few words, after which the wise woman invited him to share her lunch. In the process of further communication, the woman learned that the young man had come from the city she was heading to. It was the place where she was born. He informed her that he had not been able to find work there, after which he decided to go to another place to try his luck there. When they had finished their lunch, the young man noticed a precious stone in her bag.
“My God!” he exclaimed. “Is this what I think?”
“Yes, that's right,” the wise woman replied with a twinkle in her eye. She took the pearl out of her bag and held it up to the light. “I found it a few minutes before I met you. Do you want to take a closer look?”
“Of course!” he replied, extending his hands with open palms.
The woman placed the jewel in his hands and stared at the young man. “It can't be…” he whispered. He knew that this jewel was so valuable that he could provide himself with a luxurious life for the rest of his days. And although the thought that he could get up right now and run away with the pearl visited him, he resisted.
The boy was not a thief, although the temptation was great. Looking at the wise woman, he thought about her situation. Her life was clearly coming to an end. She probably had no relatives left in the city she was heading to. He timidly asked if she was willing to give up the pearl.
“Of course,” she said without batting an eye. “You can have it.”
She smiled at him, and tears welled up in his eyes. The young man could not believe his luck. They embraced and said goodbye at dawn. He promised to come back and visit her soon, which she did not mind.
But it was only a few days before the old woman met her new acquaintance again. He appeared late in the evening and entered the city in the same clothes in which she had met him earlier. The young man said that even before he reached the next settlement, his conscience tormented him and he could not go any further.
“As I walked along the mountain path alone, I realized that this was a real gift of fate,” he explained. “On the first day, I thought of nothing but the life I could have lived if I had sold the stone. The thoughts of all the riches, the satiety, and the new possessions that I could have acquired were very tempting to me. But then, as I continued walking, more and more immersed in my thoughts, it seemed to me that I had already lived this imaginary life. And I began to understand that despite this, at the end of the journey I would be left alone.”
The wise woman listened attentively, her eyes filled with a mixture of admiration, amusement, and understanding. Life never ceased to amaze her, even after so many years!
The young man took the same pearl from his bag and gave it back to her. “Your gift has been the most significant event that has ever happened to me in this life. I now understand that we ourselves give meaning to things. And that much of it is not so important. Everything that this precious stone could have given me is temporary and secondary. Instead, I would like to have the same generosity and wisdom that allowed you to give me this pearl without hesitation. If I can achieve this, I will have gained a truly important treasure in this life.”
