It just so happened that one day the king of the country rode up near Mr. Hermit's abode on that amazing mountain. As he passed by, the king realized that the view of the entire kingdom from the hermit's land was incredible. Every corner of the vast region was visible and it seemed to glow in brilliant detail. The king, thrilled at his discovery, asked Mr. Hermit if he might just sit on a stool and watch the view a while. Of course, the hermit was honored and went inside his house to find a stool to offer the king.

Once inside the house, however, Mr. Hermit found he had no good stool! He one he had was in terrible disrepair. He simply couldn't offer it to the mighty monarch. Terribly embarrassed, he looked all around inside the house for another seat. While he was looking, the king went away.

“He'll come again, I know he will,” the hermit said to himself. “I must have a stool ready for him.” Mr. Hermit cut some wood and carefully fashioned a beautiful stool.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, the hermit heard the king's horse approach. Eagerly, the hermit ran to get the stool he'd made. As the king sat on the stool and took in the fantastic view, he sighed. “Thank you so much, Mr. Hermit for the wonderful seat to sit on while I take in the incredible beauty. Do you happen to have a cool glass of water for me, as I am so very thirsty!”

Mr. Hermit turned red-faced and ran into his house. Frantically searching around, his worst fears were realized. He had no clean glass to give to the king, only dirty broken pieces of junk. While he stood in his dirty kitchen trying to figure out what to do, the king went away.

“He'll come again, I know he will,” the hermit said to himself. “I must be prepared!” He cut some wood, loaded it up on a cart and drove it down the mountain into town. Using the money he got from the sale of the wood, he bought a couple new glasses. Upon arriving home, he cleaned out the spring and repaired the pump, preparing for the king's next visit.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, the hermit heard the king's horse approach. The hermit ran to bring out the stool and glasses of fresh water from the sparkling clean spring. As the king basked in the glorious view, he said, “Mr. Hermit, thank you so much for the wonderful seat, the fresh clean water, and the wonderful view. Would you mind if I spent the night here with you on this grand mountain so that I could see the sun rise over my kingdom?”

Mr. Hermit couldn't believe his ears! He had no bed suitable for a king! He turned and ran into the house trying to figure out what to do. While he was gone, the king went away.

“He'll come again, I know he will,” the hermit said to himself. “I must be prepared!” Forgetting that he didn't like work, he cut down some trees and fashioned a beautiful new bed for the king. Next he gathered some sticks and traded them in town for flour to make bread. He took his dirty old bucket and cleaned it at the spring so he could scrub down the inside of his house. Carefully and diligently he prepared for the king to come and spend the night.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, the hermit heard the king's horse approach. Mr. Hermit invited the king into his sparkling clean house, served him some freshly baked bread, and enjoyed his company during the evening. That night, the king slept on the hermit's newly made bed and together they watched the bright colorful sunrise across the beautiful kingdom.

Mr. Hermit and the king grew to love and cherish each other's company. For the rest of his life, the king would come up and visit the hermit, basking in his new found friend's hospitality and thoughtfulness. Mr. Hermit became the talk of the town whenever he'd show up with a new load of chopped wood or sticks to trade for flour, linens, clothes, or whatever he needed. People couldn't believe the change that had taken place in the old man who never used to lift a finger.

…And the point of the story? Well, there are lots of points, but the one I'd like to especially bring out is this: Some people go thru life doing the absolutely bare minimum. In doing so, they miss out on some incredible opportunities or get embarrassed they can't perform if asked.

The same goes when people head out to purchase computers. Some people like to buy the absolute rock-bottom deal that requires absolutely the minimum of expenditure. However, when great new software comes out or something else happens, they realize their great “bargain” actually is a great cause of embarrassment or concern. It can't perform the way it should.

When you're looking to get a new desktop computer, don't settle for the bare minimums. Get quality and good quantities—buy a solid brand, get lots of memory, a big hard drive, a great processor speed, and a good video card. It may cost you a couple extra dollars initially, but the desktop computer will last for a whole lot longer and not be a source of embarrassment or frustration to you.