One hot day, two hikers are walking in the dry, brown hills. They have been walking all day, and they are tired and hungry.
They see a tree in the distance.
“I am sooooo hungry!” says one hiker. “Do you think that’s an apple tree? I want a big, crunchy, red apple!”
“Nah, that’s not an apple tree," says the other. "It's a pear tree! Pears are my favorite. I want a sweet, juicy, yellow pear!"
But when they arrive at the tree, there are no apples. Or pears either. In fact, there is no fruit at all.
“Aw, boo!" says one hiker. "It’s a useless oak tree!"
Just then, the sky turns grey and it starts to rain. The two hikers run under the oak tree to stay dry. It rains and rains, but the oak tree is like a big umbrella. The hikers don't get wet.
They wait under the oak tree for the rain to stop. Day turns into night.
“I’m cold," says one hiker. "We should make a fire. Help me collect some wood!”
Luckily, there are many old branches under the oak tree. The two hikers collect the branches and make a nice campfire out of them. They sit beside the fire to warm themselves.
“I’m tired,” says one hiker. "We should sleep here tonight. Help me make a bed!"
The hikers make a bed out of soft, green oak leaves. They snuggle into the leaves and fall asleep.
The rain falls and the wind blows, but the hikers are comfortable, warm and dry — under the "useless" oak tree.
Moral: Sometimes the best gifts aren’t what we originally hoped for.