Words Of Wisdom.

The week seemed to be unlucky for him. Things at the office were going
wrong, and to make things worse, he had had a row with his fiancée.
Walking along the slightly crowded street, absent-mindedly stroking
his engagement ring, he looked at the children playing around, and
reminisced about those days when he had been happy and care-free.

Life had changed drastically. Now there wasn't a single day when he
could sleep peacefully, and something or the other always kept him
worried. He felt tired all of a sudden, and settling on the nearby
bench, he got lost in his chain of thoughts.

"I see you walk by every day, you have never stopped here. What is it
that troubles you, son?"

Startled, he looked up to see an old man sitting on the other end of
the bench. He was quite tall in stature, and had a rather long
silvery-white beard, and it was as though he had appeared out of
nowhere.

"I...um..." he said, hesitated for a moment. "It's nothing."

"There is worry on your face. And I must say, you're rather bad at
lying," said the old man, with a little smile.

He seemed to be lost in his thoughts again, and the old man decided to
talk a little more. But before he could, the young man began to speak.

"Everything is going haywire, sir. I'm having bad days at work, and my
relationship is about to hit the rocks. I don't know what to do.
Nowadays, troubles and problems find me wherever I go," his voice with
a tinge of melancholy.

"Calm down, son. If things are bad, then they're certainly going to
get better. It's upon you to choose how to look at your problems."

"Nothing seems to get better. No matter how much I try. Everything I
do aggravates my problems. They're never ending."

"Nothing lasts forever...not you, not me, nothing..."

The young man began to say something, but he was interrupted.

"Tell me, son. Would you like to be troubled by your problems without
finding a solution, or would you like to find a solution, and trouble
your troubles," asked the old man, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"But how do I find a solution to my problems? I've tried so many
ideas, nothing works."

"If you can't find a solution, then forget about the problem. It might
trouble you for a while, but later when your mind is calm, a solution
will appear by itself."

The young man pondered over his words for a while before he finally spoke.
"You're right. I should think assess my situation, and act
accordingly, instead of cribbing over my problems."

"And remember son, no matter how bad things are, they will improve.
Worrying will only make things worse. Learn to tackle problems with a
calm mind," said the old man, and got up to leave.

"Thank you, sir. You've helped me a lot," said the young man, shaking
hands with his helper.

The old man was never seen again.