The Sunset Deal

Once upon a time, in a cozy little town in Ohio, there lived a young man named Gabe Miller.

Gabe wasn’t a bad kid.

He was funny.
He was smart.
He had big dreams.

But he had one massive problem…

He was the king of procrastination.

If laziness were an Olympic sport, Gabe would’ve taken gold 🥇.



Gabe had just started community college. His parents were proud, hopeful, and constantly reminding him:

> “Son, time is something you never get back.”



But Gabe always laughed it off.

“Relax. I’ve got time.”

Instead of studying, he:

Scrolled TikTok for “just five minutes” (which became two hours)

Played video games until 2AM

Watched motivational videos instead of actually doing anything


Assignments?
“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Workout?
“Starting Monday.”

Applications?
“Next week for sure.”

Meanwhile, his friends were landing internships, getting scholarships, building resumes…

And Gabe?

He was falling behind.



In town, there was an elderly man named Mr. Whitaker.
People said he used to be a successful entrepreneur. Some said he was just wise. Others said he had “that mysterious movie-grandpa energy.”

Every afternoon, he sat under a large oak tree in the park.

One day, frustrated after failing another exam, Gabe walked up to him.

“Sir… I think I’m ruining my life.”

Mr. Whitaker opened one eye and smiled.

“Oh? That’s impressive. Most people wait until they’re forty.”

Gabe blinked.

“I’m serious. Everyone’s ahead of me. I want to be successful. I want to be the best. But somehow… I never get there.”

The old man nodded slowly.

“Sit down. Let me tell you a story.”





“Once,” Mr. Whitaker began,
“there was a generous king who ruled a prosperous land.

One day, he met a man who was poor, unemployed, and always blaming others for his problems.”

The man said:

> “No one gives me a chance. Life is unfair.”



The king felt compassion.

So he made an offer.

“Tomorrow,” said the king,
“before sunset, come to my palace. Take as much gold and silver as you can carry. It will all be yours.”

The man was thrilled.

This was his chance.

His moment.

His breakthrough.



He ran home and told his wife.

She said, “Go now! Prepare!”

But he replied,
“I’m hungry first.”

He ate slowly. Very slowly.

“There’s plenty of time,” he thought.


After eating, he felt sleepy.

“Just a short nap.”

Two hours passed.


He finally grabbed his bags and headed to the palace.

The sun was blazing hot.

“This heat is brutal,” he muttered.
“I’ll rest under this tree for just a minute.”

A cool breeze passed.

He fell asleep again.

Four more hours gone.



He woke up in panic.

The sky was orange. The sun was sinking.

He ran.

He sprinted.

He gasped for air.

But when he reached the palace—

The gates were closed.

The sun had set.

The opportunity was gone.

Forever.



Mr. Whitaker stopped speaking.

The park was quiet.

Gabe felt something heavy in his chest.

Because suddenly…

He wasn’t hearing about that lazy man.

He was hearing about himself


“How many sunsets have I missed?” Gabe whispered.

Mr. Whitaker looked at him kindly.

“Success isn’t about being the smartest,” he said.
“It’s about respecting time.”

“Every day is a palace gate. And every sunset closes something.”




That night, Gabe deleted the gaming app from his phone.

He made a schedule.

He studied even when he didn’t feel like it.

He stopped waiting for motivation and started building discipline.

Was it easy?

No.

Did he mess up sometimes?

Yes.

But he stopped saying, “I’ll do it later.”

Within months:

His grades improved.

He landed an internship.

His confidence skyrocketed.


But the biggest change?

He respected time.

And time started rewarding him back.




Moral of the Story

Time is the only currency you can never earn back.

Opportunities don’t disappear loudly.

They fade quietly…

Like a sunset.

If you keep saying “later,”
one day you’ll hear “too late.”