Once upon a time, there was a beautiful forest that spanned from Louisiana to Kentucky and from the Gulf to the Atlantic. This forest was a beautiful place that had lots of rolling hills, babbling brooks, lush green valleys and nice sandy beaches. Many different animals roamed this vast land.

One day, Ernie Eagle was flying around one of those lush valleys - catching mice and other vermin to eat. He began to reflect on his life. What good am I? All I do is fly around and catch things and eat them. I think I’ll go to another part of the forest and see how the other animals live and what good they do.

Ernie rested for several days then took off toward the south near those sandy beaches. He did not like the heat but he thought he’d check the place out. He ran into a swamp animal with big jaws.

Hello, my name’s Ernie Eagle and I’ve come from afar to see the other animals in the forest.

Well, my name’s Alfred Edward Gator, but some folks call me ‘Al E. Gator’ for some reason.

What do you do Mr. Gator?

Mr. Eagle, I sit in the swamp all day long waiting for food to swim by, then I open my wide jaws and chomp it and eat it.

What else Mr. Gator?

That’s about all, do you want to try?

Sure…and Ernie tried it. He could not float very well so he rested upon a rock and sat his beak into the water. For 3 hours nothing happened while Alfred caught several fish.

Ernie got bored and decided to fly back to the west. He came upon a very large animal standing by a babbling brook.

Hello, my name’s Ernie Eagle and I’ve come from afar to see the other animals in the forest.

I’m Ellen Elephant, nice to meet you.

What do you do Miss Elephant?

Mr. Eagle, I walk around the forest eating tree leaves and branches with my long trunk and sometimes. I go over to that brook and suck water into my trunk and cool myself off. Do you want to try?

Sure…and Ernie tried it. He went over to the lake and tried to swallow some water so he could spray too. All he ended up with was a mouth full of algae. This is not much fun and it left a bad taste in his mouth.

I think I’ll find a snack.

Nearby he pounced upon a mouse and took it over to share with Ellen. She was frightened and hurriedly ran away. How could someone so large be afraid of something so small and so tasty?

The next day, Ernie flew to the north and by his time he was getting pretty tired. He was very impressed with the nice rolling hills in this part of the forest. Down below he saw a fat animal sitting in a mud puddle.

Hello, my name’s Ernie Eagle and I’ve come from afar to see the other animals in the forest.

Well, my name’s Henrietta Hog, what do you want?

What do you do Miss Hog?

Mr. Eagle, I sit in the mud all day and relax. Sometimes I go over to that field and eat, but I do enjoy this mud.

What else Miss Hog?

That’s about all, do you want to try?

Sure…and Ernie tried it. He got down in the mud and he soon felt very heavy and sticky. He got out quickly and hobbled over a nearby spring and rinsed off.

By now Ernie was very disappointed and he was getting ready to leave. He shared his frustration with Henrietta.

But Ernie, don’t you know that you are the most admired animal in the forest? You look so majestic up in the sky flying around. The other animals stop in awe when they see you. Yes, even animals like Ellen Elephant and Al E Gator. They can’t fly or soar to the sky like you can. They would love to have your exciting life.

Ernie was now confused, but he pondered what Henrietta said. He flew back to the East where his homeland was. He went back to the Lush Valley and went back to his usual routine of catching mice and other vermin. Only this time he stopped and noticed that Alfred, Ellen and Henrietta were down below looking up at him in admiration.

 

Lesson: Be happy with who you are without gloating and don’t be jealous of others gifts or talents.