A forest ranger
was working deep in the woods when his sister tried to call him
person-to-person at his headquarters office.
She was only
calling to say hello and thought she might as well save the price
of the call if her brother was out of the office (as he often
was), so she canceled the call when the operator told her that
he wasn't available.
When the ranger
got word by radio later that his sister had called person-to-person,
though, he immediately started worrying about all the things
that might possibly be wrong at home. The more he imagined, the
more he worried. Finally, he radioed his boss for permission
to take the day off so he could hitch hike to the nearest phone,
some fifty miles away.
It took hours
for him to get the call through and when his father answered
he cried, "Dad, it's good to hear your voice! Is anything
wrong?" His dad thought for awhile, then said in a thoughtful
voice, "Well, we could use some rain."
Men and women,
me and you, often make big things out of little things. But it's
important to remind ourselves from time to time that nothing
is anything until we put a name on it.
Good or bad,
happy or sad, it has whatever force we lend it. The important
thing is not to give something a name before it's born.
It might not
belong to you.