A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. Turtles, being naturally slow
about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally the
turtle family left home looking for a suitable place for their outing.
During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for
them at last! For about six months they cleaned up the area, unpacked the
picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they discovered they
had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all
agreed.
After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to
retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving
turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell. He
agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The
family consented and the little turtle left.
Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned.
Five years...
six years...
Then on the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no
longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and begun
to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out
from behind a tree shouting,
"SEE! I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt."
Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our
expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we don't
do anything ourselves.
See Also:
Inspirational Story:
The Pretty Lady
This very old Chinese Zen story reflects the thinking of many people
today. We encounter many unpleasant things in our life, they irritate us
and they make us angry. Sometimes, they cause us a lot of hurt, sometimes
they cause us to be bitter or jealous. But like the little monk, we are not
willing to let them go away.
Inspirational Story:
The Frogs
Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember,
it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs.
Inspirational Story:
The Donkey
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The
trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.