One day, a boy asked his old grandfather,
“Grandpa, let me take this opportunity to ask a question; what is life like?”
The old man stood in thought for a moment, with a look of intense surprise on his face, then he said,
“Come, on boy! I want you to follow me to the market place, I need to buy a few things – a number of things, actually. When we return, I’ll tell you what life is like. Let’s go!”
The boy and his grandfather went to the market place in the town. They bought detergent, toothbrush, tissues, toilet paper, some vegetables, fruits, eggs, milk and fish. They spent a wonderful time together, had so much fun, told jokes, laughed a lot, and it was an incredible experience.
Later in the evening, they arrived home, tired and hungry, but delighted to have had such an enjoyable time together. The boy then asked his grandfather,
“So tell me, grandpa… what is life like?”
The old man said,
“Let me ask you a question first. What happened after we finished shopping at the market place?”
The boy answered,
“We came home.”
The old man smiled broadly and whistled,
“Good! That is how life is! Life is like shopping at the market place; after you finished, you go home! Listen boy, life is like a market place. Everyone comes to the market to buy or sell. And when the market time is over, everyone goes back home. Some people came and forget what they want to buy, while some people came and buy what they want to buy and go. Some make the most out of every moment, while some dwell in sadness and regrets. Some leave early, some leave later, but all return home at one time or the other. Some are in a hurry, while a few are patient to order their steps. Whether or not you are doing well in life, you must go home one day. We are not here to stay forever. But the important question is; when we eventually return home, what will we bring from the market place? What type of footprints are we going to leave?”
