Copyright © Charles Steed & 11 Pearls.org
11 Pearls
How To Get Everything You Want In Life
Have you worked hard for only small rewards? Have unkind people with far fewer skills than you held you back? Your boss perhaps or maybe or someone close pretending to be your friend. Things like this are common in today’s world. You’ve heard the expression many times: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. And if you’re not willing to play some silly game, you find yourself on the outside looking in.
I completely relate to the feeling. I’ve never been comfortable with office politics or other pretend games. But I will admit, for a long time I paid the price for not being a follower. I often found myself on the short end because I wouldn’t pretend some pretender was a prince or princess. It was torture living that way. I found myself in one dead end job after another. I moved around a lot too trying to figure out who I was and what I was supposed to be doing.
Then one day while on a short country holiday I found a very old book and everything changed. I’d been hiking alone and came upon a broken down house set at the base of a shady hillside. It was sagging everywhere and part of the roof had fallen in. Ravens were roosting in the rafters. It was obvious that no one had lived there for many, many years.
The book was hidden away in a box in the basement of the house. It was in pretty rough shape. The only thing that kept it from turning to dust and falling apart completely was that is had been heavily wrapped in wax paper and placed inside of a tin box.
I carefully unwrapped it. As I did I felt different somehow. I know this sounds bizarre but it’s true. Something happened immediately. And though it was cool and dank in the basement of the ramshackle house, I felt I was able to actually breath for the first time in many years and it felt wonderful.
The first few pages of the book were missing but the title was printed at the bottom of each page. It simply read: 11 Pearls. Beside those words was a small crescent moon.
I took the book out into the sunlight. The pages were yellow and crisp as I carefully examined them. I knew there was something special about this book. I sat under a nearby tree and began to read. I became lost in the story.
It was the tale of a man, Caleb, who had suffered great persecution during the days of his youth. And even though the story was set in a time long ago, I felt as though I knew this fellow. He’d failed at many things. His neighbors laughed behind his back. As a young man he sometimes felt like taking his own life.
After leaving the place of his birth and wandering aimlessly from village to village for days, sleeping in horse stalls and living on little more than berries and grubs, he found himself at the steps of a stately inn deep in the country.
The innkeeper appeared suddenly shouting at him asking where he’d been and why was he so late. He called the lad Jonny. Caleb simply shrugged as the innkeeper tossed him a grimy apron and pointed to the kitchen. Franco and William, the inn’s two general all around helpers stood by and snickered as Caleb passed.
Something told the weary lad to go along with whatever it was the man wanted. He soon found himself scrubbing out cook pots, washing dishes, and taking orders from a cook who kept a bottle of brandy near at all times. Well after dark, when the guests were all settled in and the laugher in the adjoining pub had subsided, the innkeeper came to the scullery. He pointed to a stoop in the corner and motioned for Caleb to sit.
He gave the young wanderer a bowl of hearty stew, a chunk of hard bread and a cup of weak wine and motioned for him to eat. Caleb obeyed. As he absorbed the nutrition and listened to the innkeeper it was obvious the man had mistaken him for someone else.
A feeling inside, however, told him to remain silent. The innkeeper explained what Caleb’s duties were to be, where he would sleep and when he would have but little free time to himself. There was no mention of pay of any kind. As the older man explained these things Caleb decided to simply nod humbly and not speak.
When the innkeeper finished he pointed to a small loft shielded by a faded curtain above the scullery and said, “Them’s yer quarters. Be up by dawn if you know what’s good fer ye.” He left.
In short order Caleb became accustomed to his new place in the world. Although the innkeeper was a hard taskmaster he was fair, fair enough at least. In time Caleb got used to being called Jonny. He’d also become somewhat fond of his situation. The innkeeper would occasionally appear, take Caleb’s apron from him and send the boy outdoors for a bit of peace.
During these times Caleb would walk through the nearby forest wondering what might happen next. Little did he realize, it was during his time working at the inn when Caleb would meet the man who was to become his teacher, his savior.
The gentleman appeared one day in a fine carriage. Caleb had been sent outside to help carry the man’s things inside. The stranger was tall and slender with fine white hair, an engaging smile and a flowing black coat made from fine linen. When Caleb finished carrying the stranger’s things inside he went back out again to tend to visitor’s ornate buggy. The man shook hands with the lad and slipped him a small silver coin saying, “Much obliged, Caleb.”
The boy’s expression was one of surprise as he turned to speak but the stranger held his finger to his lips in the sign of silence. He smiled and told the boy that they’d talk later.
And talk they did. The stranger made the inn his home for some time and with every opportunity presented, he and Caleb would talk. The first thing Caleb wanted to know was how the stranger knew his name. The gentleman simply smiled and said it wasn’t important. During the first few months of their meetings Caleb persisted with this question until the stranger told the boy that he was his guardian angel. That gave Caleb cause for deep thought.
When he finally spoke he asked in earnest, “Where are your wings iffin’ you’re an angel?” The stranger replied that not all angels have wings, yet they are very familiar with those they are watching over. He did mention with a mischievous tone that he had some pearls. But the comment seemed to elude Caleb’s attention as he was still in deep thought. The topic of angels eventually faded.
***
Caleb looked forward to their discussions. The stranger was also evasive on giving his name. He suggested the boy call him Uncle Beau. That was fine with Caleb.
Over the following months the two would get together as time permitted and discuss life and how tricky it could be. Uncle Beau told the lad there was nothing at all tricky about life, that life was exactly what we want it to be. Caleb openly scoffed at this telling the gentleman his life was full of sorrow and pain and that he surely didn’t want those things.
The mysterious man smiled and agreed that no one wants those things. Then he asked Caleb if he were really ready for an exciting and meaningful life. He boy nodded heartily. The stranger told him that happiness and nice things must first live in your mind before they could be found in your surroundings. Again, Caleb expressed doubt proclaiming it takes more than thinking to bring happiness.