Not So Easy

Sarah had five dogs that she had to walk each day. She was paid by her neighbors to walk their dogs because most of them did not get home from work until very late. Sarah would go to their homes, one at a time, and then she would walk each dog for a short time before moving on to the next dog.

Normally, Sarah loved her job. In fact, she knew she would need all the money she could get with the plans she had for the future. When she graduated high school, she wanted to go to college and become a veterinarian. She knew it would take a lot of hard work and dedication, but she could not imagine a life in which she couldn’t work with animals. She wanted to help any animal she ever saw that was hurt or in need. When she was little, she was always trying to put bandages on the arms and legs of her stuffed pets.

This afternoon, though, Sarah just couldn’t enjoy her work. All of her friends were meeting at Charlie’s Cheeseburger Palace, and she’d heard from her friend Claire that Tim was going to be there, too. Sarah had a crush on Tim and was jealous that everyone would be there, except her.

As Sarah arrived at the first house, inspiration struck! She would simply go to each house and get each dog and walk all the dogs at one time. That way, she could still complete her job, get paid, and still have time to go and meet her friends.

Thirty minutes later, Sarah knew the brilliant idea she’d had was not so brilliant after all. She was sitting on the curb of the road, desperately trying to untangle three different leashes. Two of the dogs would not stop growling at each other, and her arm was exhausted from trying to keep all the dogs walking and not running.

Sarah had learned an important lesson. There were no shortcuts in doing a good job. She would just have to go and meet her friends on another day.