SHORT STORY
The little girl was carrying a heavy bucket on her head. She walked very slowly and very calmly down the busy road. She minded her own business and focused on her destination.
Everyone wondered why she walked so slowly. The people behind her were going so fast that they passed her. The children returning from the stream with buckets on their heads had all passed her. Some of the children laughed and mocked her for being too slow. One of them said,
“Do you know what time it is, lazybones? You’re so slow and sluggish! I wonder how long it will take before you reach your home.”
However, the girl was apparently unconcerned about what the children said and she kept walking home. A short while later, two women saw her and started teasing her,
“Didn’t your mother teach you the importance of hardwork? Just a small bucket of water, yet you move like a sloth. Why can’t you walk just as fast as the other children who are also returning from the stream? Some of them carry buckets heavier than yours. You’re so slow!”
Upon hearing that, the young girl remained silent and paid attention to her journey. However, she hadn’t gone far when an old man stopped her and said hastily,
“Hey, hurry! Don’t let those children walk faster than you. You all carry the same size of buckets. You should compete with them and make sure you get home before them. Be fast!”
The girl smiled faintly at the old man, but said nothing and kept on walking. The old man stood for a while, wondering what that odd behaviour could mean. Meanwhile, as the girl walked along the road, she kept hearing people talking and screaming at her,
“Run, run, run as fast as you can! The other children are far ahead of you. You don’t want to let them reach home before you. Hurry up!”
But regardless of what people said, the young girl was indifferent to everyone and continued crawling along. Then, suddenly, an old woman approached her and asked in a calm tone,
“Young girl, why do you walk so slowly? Is your bucket of water that heavy? The other children are way ahead of you…”
The girl paused for a moment, then with a gentle smile on her face, she whispered surprisingly,
“What I carry on my head is not water. They are eggs, a bunch of eggs. I can’t walk as fast as those children who are carrying water. The road is bad, although if they fall, their water spills, but if I fall, my eggs break. A bunch of eggs is worth more than a bucket of water. I can’t compete with them because we do not carry the same load. That’s how life is; we always feel the need to compete with another person without realizing that we carry different loads and we have different dreams and ambitions. Some paths are rather meant to be walked on slowly. Instead of playing to win, I’m playing not to lose. As long as I’ll reach home with all my eggs intact, I don’t care how many children are ahead of me.”
MORAL LESSON: Don’t compete with anyone. Just focus on your journey and keep moving. The load you carry is different from that of others.
