03 Feb To find your way in this world you need to answer three questions (DON MIGUEL RUIZ)
ONE RAINY DAY, long ago, an old man
was driving his wagon down a country
road. The road was filled with pot-
holes, so the drive was difficult, and
the rain only made it worse.
As the wagon plunged into a par-
ticularly deep hole, a rear wheel broke
off. Calming his horse, the old man
jumped down onto the muddy road
and began to struggle with the wagon
wheel. He soon realized that the hole
was too deep and the wheel was too
heavy for him to lift. As he stood there, wet and cold, he heard foot-
steps running toward him.
A farm boy was on his way home
to supper when he saw the old man’s
broken wagon, with water flowing
around it like a river. The boy was big,
strong, and eager to help. Finding a
fallen fence post, he stepped knee-
deep into the muddy hole and
propped up the wagon. Then he began
fixing the wheel.
While he worked, the boy spoke to
the old man about his wishes for the
future. He understood very little about
the world, but he wanted to learn. He
wanted to discover who he was and to find answers to life’s biggest mys-
teries. He was going to be a man soon
and wanted to know more about love.
He said he often daydreamed about
the wonderful things yet to come.
“Most days,” the boy laughed, “I’m
not sure if I’m dreaming or if I’m
awake!” The boy talked on, and the old
man listened in silence.
Within an hour, the job was done.
The wheel was set securely in its
place, and the wagon was back on the
road. The old man, filled with grat-
itude, searched through his pockets
for a few coins. Finding nothing to
offer the boy for his work, he asked him if he would accept three pearls of
wisdom instead, assuring him that the
pearls would provide more riches than
any coins. As the sun pierced through
rushing storm clouds, the boy smiled.
He knew he could not refuse the
man’s gratitude, however it was of-
fered. And, after all, he had much to
learn.
“Yes,” answered the boy politely. “I
am truly honored that you would share
your wisdom with me, sir.”
So the old man leaned toward him
and began to speak.
“To find your way in this world you
need only answer three questions,” the old man explained. “First, you must
ask yourself: ‘Who am I?’ You will
know who you are when you see who
you are not.
“Second, you must ask yourself:
‘What is real?’ You will know what is
real when you accept what is not real.
“Third,” the man finished, “you
must ask yourself: ‘What is love?’ You
will know love when you realize what
love is not.”
The old man straightened himself,
brushing flecks of mud off his coat.
The boy removed his hat respectfully
and expressed his thanks. He watched
the old man climb onto his wagon and whistle to his horse. The wagon
lurched, shuddered, and then began to
rattle down the road.
As the boy turned toward home,
where supper was waiting, he glanced
back to see the back of the wagon
disappear among the evening shadows.
The three questions
DON MIGUEL RUIZ
