The Child and the Brook
An old man who saw a child stand for a long time by the side of a stream, said, “My boy, why do you gaze so long on this brook?” “Sir,” said the child, “I stay here to wait till the stream has run off, for then I shall pass with dry feet.” “Nay,” quoth the old man, “you might stay out your life, and yet not do that, for this brook will run on as long as time. And as you wend your way through life, you will find this out. If you go with the stream, you will get to the sea; but if you do not go with the stream, you will have to wade.”