Rich Kid, Poor Kid

Once upon a time, in a little village surrounded by whispery woods and gentle hills, there were two very different gardens side by side.

One garden was huge, filled with every sort of fruit and vegetable you could imagine. It belonged to a boy named Jacob, who loved to collect new plants from faraway places. He always wanted his garden to be the biggest and the best, but somehow, he never seemed truly happy. Even with so many plants, Jacob always wanted more plants, and nothing made him happy.

Next door was Leah's garden. It was much smaller, but every plant and flower was chosen with love. Leah took care of her garden with so much joy, talking to her plants like they were her friends. She had a special fig tree that was her favorite, not because it had the biggest fruit, but because it reminded her of her kind grandfather who taught her how to garden. Every plant she had was special to her and unique.

Jacob noticed that Leah always seemed happy, humming tunes while watering her plants, even though her garden was smaller. He couldn't understand why.

One day, Leah invited Jacob to have a snack under her fig tree. They ate bread, cheese, and some of the figs from Leah's special tree. Jacob was surprised at how sweet the figs tasted, and he felt a calm happiness he hadn't felt in a long time, sitting there in the quiet garden.

Leah told Jacob about her grandfather and how this fig tree was planted in his memory. Jacob asked her, "How are you so happy when you don't have as many plants as I do!?" Leah said, "Are you happy?" Jacob looked sad and said, "No, if only I could have plants like yours, then I'd be happy. Mine don't make fruit like this!" Leah smiled, looking at her tiny garden. She continued, "It's not the size of the garden that matters, it's about seeing what you have and being thankful and taking care of everything that was given to you. You don't need my plants or a plant from far away. You have amazing plants in your garden. They would produce amazing fruit if you spent more time with them and cared for them instead of always trying to get new plants."

Leah asked, "Pretend I have a million dollars, but I can't afford anything I want, I can't afford clothes, food, or a place to live. And then pretend you have one dollar, but you have everything you ever wanted. You have a house, clothes, and food. Who is richer?"

Jacob said, "Me! I would have everything I want and also a dollar!" As soon as he said that, Jacob realized what Leah was saying. Jacob started to see his own garden in a new light. He realized that having lots of plants didn't matter if he didn't take the time to enjoy them. So, he began to spend more time in his garden, learning to love each plant for its unique beauty, just like Leah. Jacob soon found happiness not by having the biggest garden, but by cherishing the garden he already had. He learned that true wealth comes from being happy with what you have and finding joy in the simple things around you.

So, the two neighbors became great friends, sharing tips and seeds but most importantly, sharing the joy of gardening together. Now, think about this: Who was really the richest? The one who had the most, or the one who was happiest with what they had?