The-Slight-Edge
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16 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Slight</strong> <strong>Edge</strong><br />
Two Frogs<br />
One night, two frogs left the safety of their swamp and ventured into a<br />
nearby farm to explore. <strong>The</strong>y soon found themselves in a dairy. Hopping and<br />
jumping around (frogs will be frogs, after all), they jumped into a milk pail half<br />
full of cream.<br />
At first, they were both thrilled. <strong>The</strong>y had never tasted anything so delicious!<br />
<strong>The</strong>y drank and drank. Soon (after some contented frog belches followed by much<br />
giggling) they were both full-bellied and getting just a bit sleepy. “Time to get out<br />
of here and head back to the swamp for some shut-eye,” burped the first frog.<br />
But there was a problem. <strong>The</strong>y’d had no trouble hopping in ... but how to<br />
hop out? <strong>The</strong> inside of the pail was too slippery to climb, and there was nothing<br />
on which they could place their feet for traction to get up a good hopping distance<br />
... or any hopping distance at all.<br />
<strong>The</strong> awful reality dawned on them: they were trapped.<br />
Frantic, they began to thrash about, their little frog feet scrabbling for a<br />
foothold on the elusive, slippery curve of the pail’s edge.<br />
Finally, the second frog cried out, “It’s no use! We’re doomed, my brother!<br />
Let us save what dignity we have left and die here like frogs, with our eyes facing<br />
our homeland!”<br />
<strong>The</strong> first frog cried out to stop him. “No! We should never give up! When<br />
we were tadpoles, which of us would ever have dreamed that some day we would<br />
emerge from the water and hop about on land? Swim on, and pray for a miracle!”<br />
<strong>The</strong> second frog eyed his brother sadly and said, “<strong>The</strong>re are no miracles<br />
in the life of a frog, brother. Farewell.” And so saying, he turned his face in the<br />
direction of the swamp, gave a sigh, and slowly sank out of sight.<br />
But the first frog refused to give up.<br />
He continued to swim. He swam and he swam in ridiculous, pointless,<br />
useless, futile circles, hoping against hope for a miracle. Fired by adrenaline, he<br />
paddled mightily ... yet his brother’s dying words clutched at his thoughts, even<br />
more insidious than the growing fatigue that tugged at his weakening muscles.<br />
Was my brother right?, he thought desperately. Am I a fool? Are there no miracles<br />
in the life of a frog?<br />
Finally, he could swim no more ... and with a great cry of anguish, he stopped<br />
paddling and let go, ready at last to face his fate like a frog.<br />
But something odd then happened ... or rather, didn’t happen. He didn’t<br />
sink. He just sat exactly where he was. Ever so tentatively, he stretched out a foot<br />
... and felt it touch something solid.