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.