THE BLADE OF GRASS
Once upon a time there was a blade of grass. She was in great despair; she kept being frozen, flooded, burned by the sun, or trampled upon by hundreds of heavy shoes and boots! Just when she was beginning to be happy, stretching upward to the blue sky and warm sun, listening to the birds call out to one another, and feeling the breeze caress her, she was cut down, flattened out, and pressed against the earth.
Once, someone who did not know what he was doing, cut her so short that she could hardly breathe and she certainly could not hear the birds’ songs or feel the breeze. But somehow, after a few days she noticed she had grown a little and could begin to stretch out and look up to the sky again.
However, after a few weeks, the sun burned so hot she lost all her beautiful green colour and turned brown and dry. She thought for sure the end was near, except just at that moment the rain came and she drank deeply of the cool moisture. Soon, again, she regained her colour.
Something always seemed to happen to hurt her, or put her in danger; the ice and snow, the hot sun, people walking, running jumping on her. She was in despair; life was not worth living this way.
One day a beautiful butterfly landed close by. There was something wonderful about this butterfly and the blade of grass began to talk to her and eventually told the butterfly her story of sorrow.
The butterfly was very sympathetic and began to speak. “I can understand how must feel, but I must say, I am quite surprised by your story. You see, from where I see you, way up high above this field, I see how flexible you are – that the worst storms can never break you, no matter what happens to you – being stepped on repeatedly, being frozen or burnt, you always pick yourself up, look up and stretch yourself high to the sun and the sky. And when the wind blows I can hear your soft beautiful song.”
The blade of grass thanked the butterfly and was quiet for a long time. Then she began to smile to herself and hum a happy song – for she at last realized her whole life was one of success, not failure.
Life Skills For Women Exeter
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Inspirational Quotes
Alice - “Can you tell me which way to go?”
Cheshire Cat - “Where are you trying to get to?”
Alice – “I don’t really know”
Cheshire Cat – “Then it doesn’t really matter which way you go then, does it?”
Lewis Carroll – Alice in Wonderland
