The Monkey and the Turtle

Pay attention closely to this story. It may reflect something about how you take opportunities in life. The original author of this story is Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines.

Two friends, a monkey and a turtle decided to go strolling one day. As they were strolling around, they saw a banana tree filled with luscious ripe banana fruits. They were trying to figure out what to do with their find, and since the two were good friends they decided to divide the tree into two parts and each one will go home with his share.

The monkey then suggested to the turtle that they cut the tree into two halves—the top half and the lower half. The monkey opted to take the top half of the tree already sprouting with its harvest of ripe banana fruits. Meanwhile, the more laidback turtle agreed to take the bottom part that has the roots.
The monkey was doubly jovial about the fact that he has fruits that he can eat right away plus he gets a chance of getting more once he planted the tree, not realizing that without the roots the tree won’t grow.

They both went home happy and then planted their respective tree halves on the ground. They were both eager to see their plants grow. After a few days, the monkey’s tree died while the tree that the turtle planted grew and bloomed into a full fruit-bearing tree.

The Lesson:

Every once in a while life presents us with opportunities to make our lives better. Most of us though, choose ‘instant gratification’, thus, blinding us to the real value of the opportunity before our eyes. In the end, all we can do is sigh and wished we chose differently.

In most cases, good things come to those who wait.

I Beg To Differ:

If good things come to those who wait, what about those who die in the process of waiting?

Why That Extra Push?

Every person has the power within to be a catalyst for change. I’m sure most of us are still browsing the vast skies for our guiding star to set us into motion and create our own magical ripple.

Beyond beliefs and aspirations, in all its simplicity, life is a force that constantly needs that extra push. Think of it as that gray cloud in the sky that can be pumped-prime to turn into rain and shower the dry lands with abundant drops of water. Or it could be the same gray cloud covering the sun that needs that extra push, to let the sun’s rays out and turn a gloomy day into a sun-shiny one.

Whatever your daily circumstances are, one thing is inevitable. We all grow weary. We all grow tired. We all grow accustomed to our own little comfort zones. We all stop to rest. And sometimes we stop too long, that it is hard to get back on our tracks again.

We all, at times need … that extra push.