Once upon a time, when the world was young, every newborn human baby was given a small, soft bag of Warm Fuzzies. It was a gift you kept for a lifetime -- even though, paradoxically, you kept giving it away.

A friend would say to you, "I'd like to have a Warm Fuzzy." You'd smile, reach into your bag, and pull out a Fuzzy the size of a bread-slice. Then you'd place the Warm Fuzzy on your friend's forehead or shoulder, and it would snuggle up and melt right into his skin, and make him feel good all over; warm and fuzzy and wanted.

In those long-ago days, people were always asking each other for Warm Fuzzies. And since the Fuzzies were freely given, the supply in each person's bag never diminished.

Everyone was happy, and felt warm and fuzzy most of the time.

Alas, one day a wicked Sorcerer convinced a powerful King that the supply of Warm Fuzzies in each bag was limited, and that if people kept giving out Warm Fuzzies on demand, their bags would soon be empty. The King issued a decree that, henceforward, no one could give a Warm Fuzzy to anyone unless a great price was paid for it.

The world grew cold. Cold and dark. Indeed, many people shriveled up and died from lack of Warm Fuzzies. Others felt so depressed that they went to the Sorcerer and bought potions and amulets from him in their attempts to feel better. Of course, the Sorcerer's potions never worked as advertised and only made people feel worse.

In every country, there were a few people who freely gave out Warm Fuzzies to whoever needed them. But these individuals were considered eccentric, even dangerous, by the majority of people, who insisted on hoarding their Fuzzies and charging a great price for them.

Centuries passed, and the world grew even colder. And then one day in the summer of 2004, a spiritual revolution began sweeping through the world like a stupendous wind. The Great Awakening, as it came to be known, cleansed people's minds and hearts and souls. Overnight, each human being knew, intuitively, that his bag of Warm Fuzzies would always be full.

Even better, people no longer needed to be asked for a Warm Fuzzy. They gave their Fuzzies freely and spontaneously to everyone they met. The Great Awakening led to The Golden Age, a time of peace and enlightenment such as the world had never known.

So here's what I want you to do. Take your bag of Warm Fuzzies out of the vault where you've been keeping them. Hang the bag in plain sight on your shoulder. And beginning today, give a Warm Fuzzy to each person you meet.

Trust your intuition about which Fuzzy to select. It can be as little as a real smile and a warm, "Hello!", or it can be as much as the heartfelt words you've always wanted to say to a friend; something honest and intuitive that will make her feel better about herself and her life; make her feel warm and fuzzy and wanted.

I promise you this: your bag of Warm Fuzzies will never be empty. What may seem odd at first -- giving Warm Fuzzies for free -- will soon become second nature; something deep and satisfying and elemental.

And one day, far off in the future, your descendants will say proudly, "My Great-Grandmother and Great-Grandfather were among the first to give out Warm Fuzzies to everyone! They lived way, way back in 2004, that long-ago year when a great healing wind blew through the land, and cleansed everyone's minds and hearts and souls."

Owen