What's Your Wagon?

Hey, I found a new frog story. You all know the thing about eating frogs of course, and there are a few others I share now and again but just last week I heard a new one. 

Well, I say a new frog story but since it was told by Abraham Lincoln it can’t be exactly hot off the press. 

It takes place before cars have been invented and is located mainly in the inside of a wagon track so it definitely isn’t twenty first century. But I think the message of the story is as valid as ever. 

Still, it was new to me and if you’ve not heard it before then it will be new to you too. And hopefully useful.

If you’re sitting comfortably, then I’ll begin.

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Once upon a time, a frog was crossing a road. He looked left and he looked right, saw that there were no wagons trundling along and hopped out, making his way to the other side. 

He can’t have been a very observant frog, however, because two small hops later he fell into a deep muddy wagon track. It really was a deep rut, with steep sides. The frog looked up and felt quite defeated. 

Not long after, his frog friends found him and urged him to get out of his predicament. He made a few attempts to jump out but couldn’t quite reach the top.

“It’s no use,” he said “I just can’t do it. It’s too high.” Instead he decided to make himself comfy at the bottom of the rut in the mud.

The other frogs were concerned for their friend. They kept coming back offering suggestions and more encouragement but it was no use. He just pointed out how high the sides were and said he couldn’t leap that far. 

Finally his friends realised they couldn’t do anything more to help him. They gave up and returned their pond, leaving him mired in his rut.

The next day at the pond, however, the friends were amazed to find the frog by the shore of the pond, happily sunning himself. He was free!

They were overjoyed for their friend.  

"How did you get out of that rut?" they asked him. “You said the sides were too high.”

"Well as you were aware," said the frog, "I really couldn't get out, however much I tried. The sides were too high for sure. 

“So what happened?”

“Well, after a while a wagon came hurtling along. It was going to ride right over me so I HAD to jump out."

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It’s amazing how often, just like the frog, we tell ourselves something can’t be done. Then for whatever reason the stakes are raised and somehow we find that we can achieve it after all.

Just like the frog we could all do with a little extra motivation to help us get out of a rut from time to time. We don’t meant to fall into the rut, we just somehow end up there. 

And boy does it seem like a difficult leap to make to get out!

And so we tell ourselves that we can’t. It’s too hard, too far, too expensive, too slow, too big, too time consuming, too difficult, too much of a sacrifice, too much of a self denial, too painful, too embarrassing, too much of an effort, too boring, too much in every way. 

Until one day the wagon comes hurtling towards us and we find the resources we need to get out. 

So here are two questions to ponder.

What’s the rut you might not even be aware that you’re hopping into?

And what’s the wagon hurtling towards you that would motivate you out of it?