ONE RAINY DAY, long ago, an old man<\/p>\n
was driving his wagon down a country<\/p>\n
road. The road was filled with pot-<\/p>\n
holes, so the drive was difficult, and<\/p>\n
the rain only made it worse.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As the wagon plunged into a par-<\/p>\n
ticularly deep hole, a rear wheel broke<\/p>\n
off. Calming his horse, the old man<\/p>\n
jumped down onto the muddy road<\/p>\n
and began to struggle with the wagon<\/p>\n
wheel. He soon realized that the hole<\/p>\n
was too deep and the wheel was too<\/p>\n
heavy for him to lift. As he stood there, wet and cold, he heard foot-<\/p>\n
steps running toward him.<\/p>\n
A farm boy was on his way home<\/p>\n
to supper when he saw the old man\u2019s<\/p>\n
broken wagon, with water flowing<\/p>\n
around it like a river. The boy was big,<\/p>\n
strong, and eager to help. Finding a<\/p>\n
fallen fence post, he stepped knee-<\/p>\n
deep into the muddy hole and<\/p>\n
propped up the wagon. Then he began<\/p>\n
fixing the wheel.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While he worked, the boy spoke to<\/p>\n
the old man about his wishes for the<\/p>\n
future. He understood very little about<\/p>\n
the world, but he wanted to learn. He<\/p>\n
wanted to discover who he was and to find answers to life\u2019s biggest mys-<\/p>\n
teries. He was going to be a man soon<\/p>\n
and wanted to know more about love.<\/p>\n
He said he often daydreamed about<\/p>\n
the wonderful things yet to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost days,\u201d the boy laughed, \u201cI\u2019m<\/p>\n
not sure if I\u2019m dreaming or if I\u2019m<\/p>\n
awake!\u201d The boy talked on, and the old<\/p>\n
man listened in silence.<\/p>\n
Within an hour, the job was done.<\/p>\n
The wheel was set securely in its<\/p>\n
place, and the wagon was back on the<\/p>\n
road. The old man, filled with grat-<\/p>\n
itude, searched through his pockets<\/p>\n
for a few coins. Finding nothing to<\/p>\n
offer the boy for his work, he asked him if he would accept three pearls of<\/p>\n
wisdom instead, assuring him that the<\/p>\n
pearls would provide more riches than<\/p>\n
any coins. As the sun pierced through<\/p>\n
rushing storm clouds, the boy smiled.<\/p>\n
He knew he could not refuse the<\/p>\n
man\u2019s gratitude, however it was of-<\/p>\n
fered. And, after all, he had much to<\/p>\n
learn.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d answered the boy politely. \u201cI<\/p>\n
am truly honored that you would share<\/p>\n
your wisdom with me, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
So the old man leaned toward him<\/p>\n
and began to speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo find your way in this world you<\/p>\n
need only answer three questions,\u201d the old man explained. \u201cFirst, you must<\/p>\n
ask yourself: \u2018Who am I?\u2019 You will<\/p>\n
know who you are when you see who<\/p>\n
you are not.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond, you must ask yourself:<\/p>\n
\u2018What is real?\u2019 You will know what is<\/p>\n
real when you accept what is not real.<\/p>\n
\u201cThird,\u201d the man finished, \u201cyou<\/p>\n
must ask yourself: \u2018What is love?\u2019 You<\/p>\n
will know love when you realize what<\/p>\n
love is not.\u201d<\/p>\n
The old man straightened himself,<\/p>\n
brushing flecks of mud off his coat.<\/p>\n
The boy removed his hat respectfully<\/p>\n
and expressed his thanks. He watched<\/p>\n
the old man climb onto his wagon and whistle to his horse. The wagon<\/p>\n
lurched, shuddered, and then began to<\/p>\n
rattle down the road.<\/p>\n
As the boy turned toward home,<\/p>\n
where supper was waiting, he glanced<\/p>\n
back to see the back of the wagon<\/p>\n
disappear among the evening shadows.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The three questions<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n DON MIGUEL RUIZ<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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. 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