To Please or Not to Please

There once was an old woman who lived long ago. She had a dog, a cow, and a donkey. She loved her animals. The dog kept watch over her house. He barked at strange sounds. The dog helped the old woman feel secure and safe.

The cow was a big help too. The cow gave milk to the woman both day and night. The woman was able to make butter from the cream.

The donkey did much of the manual labor for the old woman. He pulled the wagon with all sorts of loads.

The old woman couldn’t imagine life without any one of her animals. She did all she could to please each of them.

The animals did not appreciate her efforts. The dog complained that the cow stunk. The cow complained that the donkey’s braying kept her awake at night. The donkey complained that the dog’s barking and growling hurt his ears.

The complaints from the animals and the old woman’s daily responsibilities left her exhausted. She was so exhausted that she fell sick with the flu. As she lay in bed trying to nurse herself back to good health, she noticed a bird on her windowsill singing a beautiful song.

“Tweet, tweet . . . you can’t please them all,” it seemed to say. From then on, the woman determined to treat them like animals instead of royal guests. It made all the difference. To this day, the animals are still treated like pets instead of humans.