On the western edge of the High Planes in a little creek bend, on the headwaters of the Smoky Hill River, there lived a happy family of frogs. They spent their days basking in the sunshine and hopping about on the emerald green lily pads that covered their beautiful marshy pool. Until one day when a massive, Hereford bull strutted mightily into the water, oblivious to the tiny frogs cowering there.
After he drank his fill, he turned to leave, crushing a young frog with a huge hoof. Mama Frog noticed that one of her youngsters was missing and asked the others about their sibling. In their tiny frog voices they relayed the terrifying tragedy of the giant Hereford hoof, that crushed their little brother.
“Big, was he?” Mama frog asked, as she puffed herself up in an attempt to match the alleged size of the giant bull. “Was he as big as this?” “Much bigger,” the little frogs said. Mama Frog puffed herself up even larger. “He couldn’t have been bigger than this,” she said defiantly. But the little frogs insisted he was indeed much larger.
Frustrated but determined, Mama frog puffed herself out even more, trying to match the monstrous size the little frogs had described. Her body swelled to impressive proportions, but Mama frog had grossly overstepped her limitations and she popped like an overblown balloon. She laid there on the lily pad, deflated and defeated and the little frogs were left in stunned silence, pondering what they had learned.
“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” ~ Lao Tzu