Grab opportunities - you never know where they might lead, says Robin Gainher, headmaster at Beeston Hall School at West Runton.
The following short story illustrates the importance of encouraging children to make the most of the opportunities presented to them.
There was a group of desert nomads who one night were preparing to retire for the evening when suddenly they were surrounded by a great light. They knew they were in the presence of a heavenly being. With great anticipation, they awaited a celestial message of great importance that they knew must be especially for them. Finally the voice spoke: “Gather as many pebbles as you can. Put them in the saddle bags. Travel a day’s journey and tomorrow night it will find you glad and it will find you sad”.
After having departed, the nomads shared their disappointment and anger with each other. They had expected the revelation of a great universal truth that would enable them to create wealth, health and purpose for the world. But instead they were given a menial task that made no sense to them at all. However, the memory of the brilliance of their visitor caused each one to pick up a few pebbles and deposit them in their saddle bags.
They travelled a day’s journey and that night while making camp, they reached into their saddle bags and discovered every pebble they had gathered had become a diamond. They were glad they had diamonds. They were sad they had not gathered more pebbles.
