6Ahmed and the Thorns

In a small town at the edge of a forest, Ahmed was known for his skill at football and his intelligence at school. But at times he lived under a strange gloom, a shadow that made him forget everything beautiful.

In an important match he scored two brilliant goals that set the stands alight. But in the final minutes he missed an easy chance for a third. The team won, but Ahmed left the pitch with his head down, replaying the missed chance in his mind.

“You are holding the thorns and forgetting the roses.”

That same week he got the highest mark in his class on a hard test, getting only one question wrong out of fifty. Yet that single red mark became all he could see.

His grandmother noticed the light had gone from his eyes, and sat with him beneath the willow tree in the yard. He told her, “I can’t stop thinking about the missed goal and the wrong answer.” She said, “It seems to me, Ahmed, that you’re holding the thorns and forgetting the roses. You scored two goals and topped your test; that is your rose. But instead of carrying the bouquet, you’re clinging to the thorns on its stem.”

He asked her, “Why do I only see the thorns?” She replied, “Because sometimes we think the thorns are the whole truth. Learn to carry them together, the thorns and the roses.”

From that day on, Ahmed paid attention to the roses in his life; he celebrated with his team when they scored, and allowed himself to feel proud when he succeeded. The thorns were still there, but they no longer hid the roses.