A Fable: The Singing Frog

There were once two frogs who lived on opposite sides of a pond. One frog sang its own frog song night after night. Many of the other frogs loved how this frog sang. They rallied around the singing frog and wanted to hear more.

The second frog got jealous and began constantly complaining about the singing frog across the way. The second frog told all the other frogs who would listen how awful the singing frog was and how much better he sang than the singing frog across the pond. But instead of really singing to the frogs on his side of the pond, all he ever did was complain and speak poorly about the frog on the other side of the pond. He did nothing but make excuses for why he hated the other frog and why he was better than the other frog.

Sadly, the frogs on the second frog’s side of the pond grew weary of his whining and stopped listening to him altogether and he was left standing on a lily pad complaining to no one except for a few faithful froggy friends who endured his whining out of friendship.

The singing frog still sang and continued singing because the singing frog was undaunted by the second frog’s relentless complaining and criticism. After all, that criticism really was more a reflection on the second frog than it was on him.

The moral of the story – instead of complaining about and criticizing the singing frog on the other side of the pond, become the singing frog on your side of the pond.  Life is too short to sit around complaining and criticizing the other frogs, especially if you really have a  special talent you could be sharing with your side of the pond.