The Discontented Little Horse
Although he lived in a beautiful comfortable stable, the
little horse was always discontented.
He had a great green field to ride and play with his
friends, where he never lacked fresh grass to eat and
pure and limpid water to drink in a nearby stream.
And when night came, he would retreat to the stable,
where a mound of new dry grass served as a bed, while he
could see the stars shining in the sky far away through
the open window.
John, a friendly servant, bathed him regularly, brushed
his hair gently leaving it shiny and silky. Still, he
was not happy and spent his time complaining about life.
He complained of having to get up early, the grass that
was not very green and soft, the water that someone had
disturbed, the hard grass mattress. When the servant
came to bathe him, he complained that the water was very
cold, and that the hard brush hurt him.
One day, when John came smiling to take care of him, he
found the horse in a worse mood than on other days.
Unintentionally, the servant made a mistake and the
bucket of water fell on the horse's paw. Immediately,
the animal reacted angrily, kicking the poor servant and
saying rudely:
- Clumsy!
He fell down in a bad way and could not get up so he
screamed for help.
When they came to him and saw him on the ground, they
asked:
- What happened, John?
Because he really liked the horse and did not wish he
was punished, he replied:
- It was nothing. I fell and injured my leg.
Taken to a hospital, they found that John had fractured
a bone in one leg and would have to get a cast. For a
month he would have to rest and could not work.
The next day, another employee was assigned to take care
of the animals, replacing John in his duties.
Being too lazy, the new employee was not worried about
anything.
He forgot to let the animals go for walks in the fields,
he did not change the water from the drinking fountains,
he did not clear the old straws and replaced it with
fresh ones, and he did not like to give them baths,
leaving them dirty and smelly.
As the little horse complained about the treatment he
was being given, now he was surrounded by flies, he
received a few lashes on his back, which left him
wounded. Frightened, since he had never been punished,
the horse became afraid and never complained again.
He remembered, however, with deep longing, the friendly
servant who always treated him kindly and never let him
lack anything. At night, alone, looking at the stars, he
cried with sorrow on his dirty, smelly bed.
When John returned after the thirty days, he was
received with a happy whinny. The horse rested his head
on his chest, pleased with his friend's return.
The servant was surprised by the affectionate attitude
of the animal, who had always been so ill-tempered, and
was pitied by his appearance, for he had lost his
haughty air, and now kept his head low; he was dirty all
over and he had bleeding wounds from the bites of the
insects that settled on his dirty body.
Full of compassion, he embraced the little horse, which
sighed happily. Then he washed him, took care of the
wounds, and brushed his hair, which, in part, reacquired
their bright silky appearance. When he had finished, he
looked at the animal and said:
- There. Now you look better!
The little horse, who had had plenty of time to think
during those thirty days, spoke to him in a tone of
humility:
- Thank you for your care and attention. It was
necessary for me to suffer to be able to appreciate and
value your friendship. Now I understand how rude and
aggressive I was with you, and how kind you were to me.
Forgive me for that time kicked you. It will never
happen again.
He paused and, looking at his friend, with his eyes
moist with emotion, concluded:
- I’ve learned that we need to know how to thank
everything we have. God gave me a good life where
nothing was lacking, yet I lived dissatisfied with
everything. Things had to get worse so I could see how
happy I was. I also understood that we must know how to
respect others if we wish to be respected.
Aunt Celia
Translation:
Johnny Silveira / silveirajohnny@yahoo.com