A short story to live your life by. By: Scott McLeod

The pond was immense. Ten thousand generations of frogs had lived there. It was green and lush. The food was plentiful, the dangers were few and the climate changed little in an ever turning wheel of night and day. The Frog lived on his Lilly pad. His neighbors had similar pads some larger some smaller, as old frogs died new frogs moved in and as lily pads curled and sank a new one was there to take its place. As far as any frog alive knew, back into history the world had been like this.

The Frog had seen many seasons come and go. He had seen storms tear at the pond. He had seen flocks of birds sift through his neighbors. But his pond was always the same. Every year he saw the emergence of lotus flowers. They rose slowly from beneath the dark water green, like raindrops by the thousands, lifting to the sun. Overnight they would open pale yellow with reddish glowing gems in each center. Insects swarmed the flowers and the frogs gorged themselves. Tiny little frogs emerged from the water at this same time every year to join their family and grow and thrive. And as the flowers faded the birds came to sift through the pond taking away the slow, infirmed and aged.
It was at this time that this frog found himself staring into the eye of a large stork. The frog closed his eyes tight and began to mutter. This stork turned his head and listened. He had never paused in his hunt to listen but today he was very curious. “What’s that you are saying frog?” said the stork. “I am asking to be returned to the world, I am glad to have been here and wish to return after you eat me.”

“Who are you asking?” said the stork. “Oh –I ask myself. I want my last thoughts to filled with pure gratitude and longing for life in this place and in this time. I ask myself to return”

“Humph –that’s silly.” scoffed the stork. “Return from my stomach, ya in a gooey mess!” he tittered.

The frog returned to his inward thoughts.

“Well let’s say you do come back.” said the stork.

“What will you come back as? another frog? “Oh maybe,” said the frog “maybe.”

“But the image I keep seeing in my mind just now was that of a beautiful lotus flower.” said the frog.

“A flower?” said the stork. “Why a lotus flower?”

“IS this not the most beautiful place in the world?” said the frog.

The stork shrugged

Is this pond not the most luxurious and accommodating pond.”

The stork shrugged again.

Well –If I were to be a part of this world I would choose to be a part of the beginning of the world, to look back in history and know that I reflect the light of the sun like a star filled gem on the water. I want to know that it was me that was the beauty that attracted and fed the flying insects and so the frogs and so the storks.

I would know that it was me who greeted the little ones as they emerged from the darkness and it was me that the elderly and infirmed saw as they passed into it. My roots would be joined to the entire world and my seeds would spread my likeness and my spark into eternity.”

“I admire your position.” said the stork. But I am hungry and I must eat.

“So you must.” said the frog and he bowed low.

The next day the stork was looking into the eye of a crocodile.

And as he stood frozen in terror, thoughts of fear and pain clouded his mind and soon nothing remained of the stork but a gooey mess.

Work to make this life a beautiful place that you would love to return to and your every moment will be heavenly and you will find it easier to be understanding of whatever comes along.