A Little Pencil

“First Aid Box. Check. Knife. Check. Spectacle Case. Check.”

“Grandma??”

“Blanket. Check. Fruits. Check. Books. Check… This old age can’t remember… I think everything is here now”, murmuring to herself.

“What are you writing Grandma??”

“Oh, darling! Did you say something? I have become a weak ear lately”

“Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me Grandma that you writing?”

Grandmother laughed and pulling the cheeks of her grandson said, “No my sweet little pumpkin, I was just checking my bag… This is just a stupid list to see if this old lady has all that she needs… Oh! I am going to miss you so much.”

“May I help you in packing?”

“My!! Your father has already packed little angel… Here I have something for you… come sit beside me… ”.

Giving him a pencil, she said,” I have used this pencil for writing my stories and even about you… Keep it. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.”

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special and asked,” But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!”

“That depends on how you look at things”, said Grandma. “It has many qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.”

“Why do you sound so mystical all the time Grandma? What can I possibly learn from mere pencil… what qualities are these?”

“My smart boy… ”, She started explaining with smile on her face.

“First quality. You are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to his will.”

“Second quality. Now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.”

“Third quality. The pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice. Likewise you should also forgive people if they make mistake.”

“Fourth quality. What really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.”

“Fourth quality. What really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, its shape and size but the graphite inside. So you see my child always focus on your inner thoughts and attitude, our inner self is our true identity.”

“The pencil’s fifth quality. It always leaves a mark. In just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious about your every action.”

“Sixth quality. The pencil also helps us in shade and drawing becoming smaller and smaller... so we should remember that life is not all black and white, but mostly shades of grey. Live life to the fullest. We have limited time, but we can manage to make most of it.”

“Seventh quality. Even when it is broken it is still a Pencil and it retains all its virtues. This means we should always try to remain the same in all conditions. Both during triumph and difficulty.”