In a small town lived a donkey named Daphne, who delivered flowers for her master. Daphne loved flowers, and was content with her life - most of the time. Sometimes, she wondered if she would be happier and more respected by the townspeople if she carried humans like the horses, or large crates like the oxen. Whenever she shared these feelings with the bees that followed her, they would buzz back, "Just be, Daphne."
One day, Daphne was feeling particularly dissatisfied with herself. The stableboy had called her a rude name that rhymed with grass, and she felt she needed to do something to get more respect from him and everyone around her. Thus, she decided to do more than deliver flowers that day. During her breaks, she offered rides to people around town, and even helped an ox with his load.
By the end of the day, Daphne felt exhausted. Her muscles felt sore from carrying and lifting all day, so much so that she could not get up the next day. Her master came in to see her, and asked, "Daphne, why did you overwork yourself? Don't you know that you are very valuable and perfect as you are?"
Then Daphne finally understood what the bees have been buzzing to her all along. She didn't need to prove her worth, because she was already worthy, as her master said. She just needed to be Daphne!
The next day, Daphne felt well enough to deliver flowers again. As she carried the flowers, their sweet aroma filled her with happiness and gratitude, and she joined the bees as they buzzed, "Just bee!"
* * *
No comments:
Post a Comment