A young milkmaid daydreams about everything her milk could become -- until she loses it all.
Once upon a time there was a young milkmaid who helped her mother sell milk at the market every day. This morning she'd been given the responsibility of carrying a large jug of milk all by herself. She was proud that her mother trusted her, and she looked forward to earning money from the sale.
The milkmaid carefully set the jug on her head, just as she had always seen her mother do, and set off toward the village. She walked along a small path surrounded by meadows full of flowers. The birds sang, and the sun shone bright in the sky. Soon she began to daydream about everything she could do with the money.
"When I sell the milk, I'll buy some hens," she said to herself. "The hens will lay lots of eggs, and I'll sell the eggs at the market. With the money from the eggs, I can buy a little pig!"
She began to smile as she pictured the pig growing big and healthy.
"When the pig is big enough, I can sell it and earn even more money. Then I'll buy the finest dress in the whole village! I'll be so beautiful that everyone will admire me."
She straightened up, held her head high, and walked as though she were already the loveliest girl in the whole village. But she was so lost in her dreams that she didn't see the stone in the middle of the path. Before she knew it, she stumbled, and the milk jug fell to the ground.
CRASH! The jug shattered into a thousand pieces, and the milk spilled out over the ground. The milkmaid stood completely still. She stared at the milk disappearing into the earth, and soon the tears began to fall.
"What am I going to do now? All the milk is gone, and I have nothing left. No hens, no pig, and no beautiful dress," she wept.
When she got home, she told her mother what had happened. Her mother looked at her gently and dried her tears.
"My dear, it's good to dream, but you must always take care of what's in front of you. You can't build your future without looking after the present. Next time will go better."
From that day on, the milkmaid learned an important lesson. She kept working hard, but she always remembered to pay attention to the path and keep her feet steady on the ground.
The moral of the story
Dream big, but don't forget to be present in the moment. Too much daydreaming can cause us to lose what we already have.
This is a free adaptation of an original fable by Aesop.
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