In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway.

Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove

the huge rock.

Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by

and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not

keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the

big stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On

approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried

to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and

straining, he finally succeeded.

As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse

lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many

gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the

person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned

what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to

improve one's condition.