THE PERFECT HOUSE

THE PERFECT HOUSE

A young girl lived in a small, simple house on the top of a hill. She spent her days playng in the garden and for a long time was quite content.

As she grew older and taller, she was able to see the world that existed over the fence of her yard, and she spitted the "perfect house" on a hill across the valley from where she lived. The way the sun shone on the windows made them shine like gold and the girl spent her days imagining what it would be like to live in a house with golden windows.

She believed her life would be much better if only she could live in the perfect house across the valley, and she vowed to go there as soon as she was able.

When she was old enough, she was allowed to play outside of her yard, and even ride her bike down the lane to explore the neighborhood. It was only a matter of time before she rode her bike across the valley to her dream house on the opposite hill.

She left her bike at the fence post, and walked up the long winding lane to the house. With each step her anticipation of what she would find grew. Imagine her disappointment when she arrived at the house to find that it was rather plain and in need of a good paint job, the windows were dirty, and a loose shutter banged against the side of the house when the wind blew; weeds were overtaking the yard.

She looked across the valley to her own home. The way the sun shone on the windows made them appear to glisten like gold. She looked back at what she thought was her dream house and realized that things at a distance can offer the illusion of perfection, but to appreciate the things you have is the best assessment of a thing's worth. As she raced back to her bike and pedaled home she thought about all of the good things that awaited her at home.