| The Precious Present by Dr. Johnson was a particularly effective book published in 1984 presenting a series of meditative thoughts to keep one appropriately focused on the moment. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the overuse of Capitals in the key meditations. That overuse made the meditations seem to scream at me rather than whisper ("Be In The Present" versus "Be in the present"). In The Present, Dr. Johnson has taken The Precious Present and packaged more of a story around the simple tale of an older man helping a younger one to recapture the joy of losing oneself in what one is doing . . . while keeping the choice of one's current perspective in focus. The gift wrapping around the earlier story is to see how one can tell this tale to someone else . . . and help them learn about how to share it with other people. I felt a little like I was reading instructions for how to create a network marketing company for Dr. Johnson's story. Inexplicably, Dr. Johnson still uses CAPITALS too much for his meditations . . . and has added BOLDING to make the SHOUTING of his text even stronger. I graded the book down one star for moving away from its simple, quiet potential nature. I recommend you read The Precious Present rather than The Present to learn these important lessons: Be in the present; learn from the past to do things differently in the present; and envision a better future and act now to create it. Like many of the fable books, this one has an enormous price per page. I suggest you read it at the library rather than purchasing the book. It won't take you long. How can you do something you love now that will build a better future for you and those you love? | 
