Patience

July 2023 Character Core

The Crow & the Pitcher

For weeks and weeks there had been no rain. The streams and pools had dried to dust, and all the animals were thirsty. Two crows, flying together in search of water, spotted a pitcher that had been left on a garden wall. They flew to it and saw that it was half full of water. But neither one could reach far enough inside the pitcher’s narrow neck to get a drink.

“There must be a way to get that water,” said the first crow. “If we think it through, we’ll find an answer.”

The second crow tried to push the pitcher over, straining with all his might. But it was too heavy to budge. “It’s hopeless!” he croaked and flew away to look for water elsewhere.

But the first crow stayed by the pitcher and thought, and after a time he and an idea. Picking up some pebbles in his beak, he dropped them one by one into the pitcher until at last the water rose to the brim. Then the clever bird happily quenched his thirst.

Wisdom and patience succeed where force fails.

Challenging circumstances are opportunities for growth, but these circumstances can be stressful and complicated. Even though it is hard, enduring those difficulties and stresses produces patience for future challenges.

Story Credit: aesopsstories.blogspot.com