somebroad

I once heard of a parable about the tree and the reeds. Over the years of his life, tree has seen many things; the seasons change and the plants, birds and land animals come and go, but he is always there... Firm and resolute, he is convinced that he will always outlast all others... Beneath him nestles a bed of reeds, to him they are small and thin, frail and weak. He looks down upon them with pity, for he is certain they will not last after the mildness of Autumn turns to the cold bitterness of Winter. One evening, the weather turns foul and the wind begins to blow. Mighty tree boasts of it's strength to the reeds and they just sigh while the growing breeze sends invisible waves of dancers, spinning along trough them. As the breeze strengthens into a wind, tree thrusts out his sturdy branches, leaning hard into the powerful gusts that begin to buffet them. Tree looks down upon the flimsy reeds and feels sad, for he is certain his sister reeds will be destroyed before the lashing is through. Suddenly, there is a great crack and tree feels himself tumbling over. His old roots, unearthed and exposed, reach to the sky while his arms and crown break as he crashes into the reeds below. "How is it that I have fallen while you still stand?" The broken tree asks the reeds, now as tall as he. "We may be small and thin, but we are flexible and bend with the wind. You have grown to be strong and tall, but because you are hard, you've broken because you can no longer bend."

It's good to have a backbone, just remember to keep it flexible for those Gumby-like moments in life.