An old heart-shaped box of chocolates

“There you are Grandpa, did you enjoy my college going away party?” his eldest granddaughter asked.

“Yes, Miss Payton, I have. Although, I have to admit to not understanding most of what you and your friends were discussing. Before you go, I need a few minutes of your time. Can you please join me in my study in ten minutes? I have something for you.”

“Of course Grandpa, let me say goodbye to Ashley, then I’ll be right in.”

Her grandfather made his way through the old family home to his study. As he passed the pictures lining the old hallway it was like walking back in time. To a time when he was young, then married, then with children, and now grandchildren of his own. The sights and sounds of those yesteryears swept into him, and an unconscious smile came to his weathered face.

His study was nothing spectacular or grand, but not quite utilitarian either. The simple desktop had few things with which to clutter the space. What was most important was the coaster sitting next to the laptop. To most people the coaster was just something you set your drink on to keep from staining a surface. But to Grandpa Bill this coaster had held his coffee cup, his water, or a glass of his favorite single-malt Scotch. It all depended upon the time of day and why he was at his desk as to what the coaster might hold. After he was done speaking with his granddaughter the odds-on favorite would be Scotch.

As he was contemplating the empty coaster, he remembered why he had asked Payton to come to his study. Reaching down into the bottom drawer of his desk he reached all the way to the back and found what he had been seeking. A heart-shaped chocolate box from the early 1970’s. He held the box to his chest, remembering the last time he had seen it, then set the box on the edge of his desk and moved to the grand old rocking chair facing out to the setting sun.

Right on time his granddaughter entered, with her youthful exuberance and cherubic smile.

“Chocolates!, thanks Grandpa, I’d love one” Payton stated as she reached for the box.

“Wait, don’t open that box yet, please. Let me explain what is in that box first. Come, have a seat here on the sofa and let’s talk.”

Slightly taken aback, Payton did as asked, and sat on the sofa next to his rocking chair.

“I have to tell you the truth Miss Payton, there aren’t any chocolates in the box. No, that box contains something completely different than sweets.”

Payton smiled and sat back on the sofa. “I know you love to tell stories Grandpa, how come I get the feeling this might be a long one?”

“Only as long as it needs to be. So here goes.”

“That box contains everything I have ever failed at. All of my regrets, all of my bad decisions, all of my fears, and all of my hatred. All tucked securely into that box” the old man stated.

“I – I – I don’t think I understand you right now Grandpa. I’ve heard your stories. I know you spent years in the Air Force. I know you ran your own successful business for years. And after all of that you followed your dreams and became a best-selling author. I also know how much you loved Grandma, and my dad, and all of your grand-children.”

“Do you really want me to see now what bad decisions you made over the last 80 years of your life?” she asked him.

“Yes, I do.”

With that, her Grandfather reached over to the corner of his desk and handed her the old chocolate box.

Payton eyed the box carefully and still wondered whether this was the right thing to do. Why was he doing this? What could she possibly want to know about what had gone wrong in his life?

It was at that moment when Payton realized something. The box was incredibly light. She eyed her grandfather one more time, then slowly lifted the lid from the box.

Inside was a single piece of old, now yellowed paper. On this piece of paper was a single word written in large bold print.

OPPORTUNITY

“I’m sorry Grandpa, but I don’t think I understand. You said this box contained all your regrets in life, all your bad decisions, and all your fears and hatred. How does that work with the single word opportunity?”

A small smile crept to his face, while the obvious confusion on her face distorted her beautiful smile.

“The famous inventor Thomas Edison went through 10,000 combinations of materials before he came up with a light bulb that worked long enough for him to consider it a success. When asked about those 10,000 failures he replied none of them were failures, he just knew 10,000 ways which didn’t work.”

‘As you go away to college and on to the rest of your life, I want you to do something for me. Any time you find yourself in a situation where you think you have failed, stop. Stop and understand what others might see as a failure, you will use as an opportunity to learn, to grow, to do something different. Learn to love again after relationships that don’t work. Learn to see the beauty in the world around us even in the face of despair. Learn to live your life in one which you always look for the opportunity in the face of adversity.”

It started as just a small tear in one eye, then developed into both her eyes opening up with a veritable flood of tears.

“These were the words given to me by my father many years ago before I left for the Air Force, I have given these same words to your father before he went off to college. And gave these to your uncle when he was about to leave. I now give them to you.”

“Grandpa, thank you. I had no idea what to expect when I came in here. I should have guessed something was up when I told Dad you wanted to see me in your study. Now I understand the smile on his face when I told him about this. It all makes sense.”

“Life