Once upon a time, long ago of course, for that is when most good tales take place, there lived a man named Mr. Straw. He had no home; he had no wife; he had no children; he had nothing but the shirt on his back. Mr. Straw had nothing, including no luck. He had always been poor and most often had little to eat. As such, he was thin as a piece of straw, hence that is why the people that lived in the surrounding area began calling him Mr. Straw.
Every morning, Mr. Straw would visit the local church and there he would offer a prayer of intercession to St. Cajetan, the patron saint of the unemployed, job seekers and good fortune. Mr. Straw would pray daily for good luck. One morning as his head was bowed in petition, he heard a voice clearly speaking to him from inside his head.
“The first thing your hand touches when you leave the church will bring you great fortune,” it whispered.
Mr. Straw rubbed his eyes, pinched himself, and looked all around him. The church was empty save for himself.
“Was I dreaming, or was that St. Cajetan?” he wondered. Sensing and hoping that the voice was real, he then dashed out of the church to find his promised good luck. But as he was rushing from the church he tripped on the steps and tumbled into the street where he lay in the dirt. As he slowly picked himself up, he noticed that clutched in his hand was a piece of straw.
“Well,” he thought to himself, “my namesake, a piece of straw is a pretty worthless thing. But, if perhaps St. Cajetan meant for me to pick it up, I’d better not throw it away just yet.” So he walked along holding the tiny seemingly insignificant piece of straw.
Before long a dragonfly swooped down and began to buzz around Mr. Straw’s head. He waved to shoo it away, but it was persistent and wouldn’t stop pestering him as it continued to buzz and whirl and fly in circles around his head.
“Very well,” bellowed Mr. Straw. “Since you won’t go away, then you must stay with me on my terms!” He caught the dragonfly and tied his “good luck” straw to its tail, so it looked like a little kite moored to a tiny string. And he kept walking down the road.
Shortly, he met up with a flower lady and her little boy coming the other way. They were on their way to the market to sell their flowers. As they passed closer, Mr. Straw could tell that they must have been walking for some time for the boy was hot and obviously fatigued, and his eyes were full of tears from the dust that had accumulated in them during his journey. But when the boy noticed Mr. Straw’s dragonfly buzzing on the end of the straw, his face lit up.
“Mother,” he said, “can I have a dragonfly? Please?”
“Well,” thought Mr. Straw, “St. Cajetan told me this piece of straw would bring me luck, but this little boy looks so hot and tired, and it surely will make him happy.” So he gave the boy the dragonfly on the straw.
“You are very kind,” the flower lady exclaimed. “I have nothing to give you in return except this rose. Will you take it?”
Mr. Straw nodded affirmatively, took the rose, and went on his way holding it tenderly.
After a while he saw a young man sitting on a tree stump, holding his head in his hands. The man looked so forlorn and distraught. Mr. Straw immediately felt a wave of compassion flow from within himself so he bowed down to the man and asked gently, “Sir, is something the matter? May I assist you in any way?” The young man replied, “This evening I intend to ask my beloved to marry me, but I am poor and have no gift to bring her.”
“Well, I am a poor man too,” replied Mr. Straw. “I have nothing valuable, but if you want to give her this rose, you are welcome to it.”
The youth perked up when he saw the splendid rose. “Oh, thank you for your generosity, Sir!” he cried out. “Please take these three oranges in return for your kindness. I know it’s not much, but it is all I have to give you.”
So Mr. Straw set off again, now carrying three plump, juicy oranges. Soon he met a peddler pulling a little cart.
“Can you please help me?” the peddler panted. “I’ve been pulling this cart all day, and I am so thirsty that I feel faint! Can you spare this poor soul a drink of water?”
“I regret that I am not carrying any water and there appears to be no nearby wells,” Mr. Straw answered, “but you may have my three oranges and drink their sweet juice to quench your thirst.”
The peddler was so thankful after squeezing all three oranges dry that he reached into his cart and pulled out his finest roll of silk. “In return for your kindness, Sir,” he said, “I offer you this cloth as a token of my gratitude.”
So Mr. Straw set off again, this time with a roll of fine silk tucked under his arm.
Before long, he came upon a golden carriage fit for a princess, for that is exactly what it was bearing. Her face was radiant matching her overall beauty, though she bore an obvious look of worry. Yet, her face lit up when she spied Mr. Straw.
“Where did you get that silk?” she cried, “It’s just what I’ve been looking for. Today is my father’s birthday, and I want to make him a new royal robe.”
“Well, since it’s his birthday, you are welcome to have this silk,” replied Mr. Straw.
The princess couldn’t believe her luck. “You’re very thoughtful and kind,” she said with a smile. “Please take this jewel in return.”
She then rode away, leaving Mr. Straw holding a large jewel that gleamed like the fire of the sun.
“Well, well,” he muttered to himself. “I started with a worthless piece of straw, and suddenly I find myself in possession of this fine jewel. Something tells me this has gone far enough.”
He then immediately took the jewel to a nearby merchant and sold it to him. Then Mr. Straw took that money and bought a small plot of land sufficient for growing an equally small rice crop. He worked the land hard and each year it produced more and more rice. Eventually, he bought more land, and then more, and worked each addition with equal vigor producing commensurately growing profits year after year. Before too long he was a very rich man.
But his wealth did not change Mr. Straw one bit. He always shared his rice with those neighbors who were hungry and in need. He built a school so that the village’s children could learn and prosper in knowledge. He extended a helping hand to all who needed one. And everyone, far and wide, came to admire him. They spun tales about his great fortune emanating from that one little piece of straw. But, St. Cajetan, who constantly watched over Mr. Straw, knew better. Mr. Straw’s seemingly boundless luck spilled out from his own heart and soul as a result of his never-ending kindness.
Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness. – George Sand
Have an AWE-full Weekend!
William “Bill” Bacque