The Discontented Little Horse

Although he lived in a beautiful comfortable stable, the little horse was always discontented.

He had a great green field to ride and play with his friends, where he never lacked fresh grass to eat and pure and limpid water to drink in a nearby stream.

And when night came, he would retreat to the stable, where a mound of new dry grass served as a bed, while he could see the stars shining in the sky far away through the open window.

John, a friendly servant, bathed him regularly, brushed his hair gently leaving it shiny and silky. Still, he was not happy and spent his time complaining about life.

He complained of having to get up early, the grass that was not very green and soft, the water that someone had disturbed, the hard grass mattress. When the servant came to bathe him, he complained that the water was very cold, and that the hard brush hurt him.

One day, when John came smiling to take care of him, he found the horse in a worse mood than on other days. Unintentionally, the servant made a mistake and the bucket of water fell on the horse's paw. Immediately, the animal reacted angrily, kicking the poor servant and saying rudely:

- Clumsy!

He fell down in a bad way and could not get up so he screamed for help.

When they came to him and saw him on the ground, they asked:

- What happened, John?

Because he really liked the horse and did not wish he was punished, he replied:

- It was nothing. I fell and injured my leg.

Taken to a hospital, they found that John had fractured a bone in one leg and would have to get a cast. For a month he would have to rest and could not work.

The next day, another employee was assigned to take care of the animals, replacing John in his duties.

Being too lazy, the new employee was not worried about anything.

He forgot to let the animals go for walks in the fields, he did not change the water from the drinking fountains, he did not clear the old straws and replaced it with fresh ones, and he did not like to give them baths, leaving them dirty and smelly.

As the little horse complained about the treatment he was being given, now he was surrounded by flies, he received a few lashes on his back, which left him wounded. Frightened, since he had never been punished, the horse became afraid and never complained again.

He remembered, however, with deep longing, the friendly servant who always treated him kindly and never let him lack anything. At night, alone, looking at the stars, he cried with sorrow on his dirty, smelly bed.

When John returned after the thirty days, he was received with a happy whinny. The horse rested his head on his chest, pleased with his friend's return.

The servant was surprised by the affectionate attitude of the animal, who had always been so ill-tempered, and was pitied by his appearance, for he had lost his haughty air, and now kept his head low; he was dirty all over and he had bleeding wounds from the bites of the insects that settled on his dirty body.

Full of compassion, he embraced the little horse, which sighed happily. Then he washed him, took care of the wounds, and brushed his hair, which, in part, reacquired their bright silky appearance. When he had finished, he looked at the animal and said:

- There. Now you look better!

The little horse, who had had plenty of time to think during those thirty days, spoke to him in a tone of humility:

- Thank you for your care and attention. It was necessary for me to suffer to be able to appreciate and value your friendship. Now I understand how rude and aggressive I was with you, and how kind you were to me. Forgive me for that time kicked you. It will never happen again.

He paused and, looking at his friend, with his eyes moist with emotion, concluded:

- I’ve learned that we need to know how to thank everything we have. God gave me a good life where nothing was lacking, yet I lived dissatisfied with everything. Things had to get worse so I could see how happy I was. I also understood that we must know how to respect others if we wish to be respected.

Aunt Celia

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