The Wolf and the Dog

In the middle of winter a wolf, so thin you could count his bones, was looking for food in the forest. On the road he met a well-fed dog with a glossy coat. The wolf envied him: "How do you look so good?"

"Easy," said the dog. "Come with me. You'll live on the farm. You guard the door, bark at thieves, your master feeds you every day, and you sleep in a warm kennel. What's the point of starving in the forest?"

The wolf's mouth watered. They walked toward the farm together. On the way the wolf saw a bare patch on the dog's neck. "What's that?" he asked.

"Nothing," said the dog, "the mark of the collar. They tie me up in the daytime, and at night I'm free."

The wolf stopped. "They tie you up? Can't you go where you want?"

"Not always, but what does it matter? My belly is full."

The wolf turned back. "Keep your food, brother dog. I am hungry, but I am free. I go to whatever mountain I please, I drink from whatever stream I please. Food eaten with a collar on won't go down my throat."

And he ran off into the forest. The dog watched him go, scratched his neck and went back to his kennel. Each of them had made his own choice.

The lesson of this tale is different for everyone. You think about it one day too: full and tied, or hungry and free? Perhaps there is a road between the two. But think about it tomorrow; now, sleep.