The Penny and the Feather

A penny and a feather were resting on the sidewalk. The penny asked the feather, "What do you want in life?"

"I want to float through life, experiencing anything and everything," said the feather. "What do you want in life?"

"I want to be someone's wish and end up in that fountain over there," the penny replied.

"That is a boring existence," the feather replied.

"It's what I want to be," said the penny.

Just then a breeze lifted the feather into the air. It sailed through the city, seeing all sorts of things. But soon it came to rest in a gutter where it was swept up and placed in the garbage, then taken to the dump. The feather was very unhappy with the way things had turned out.

Meanwhile, the penny lay on the sidewalk until a little boy came upon it. He picked the penny up and threw it into the fountain, making a wish as he did. The penny was overjoyed at having achieved its one goal.

For those who know what they want and what they were made for, it is very probable that they will achieve their goals. But the aimless are often disappointed, because they did not know what they wanted before they set out.