The Dog and His Reflection

A dog got a big, juicy piece of meat from the butcher's shop. Delighted, he carried it home in his mouth, crossing a wooden bridge over a clear stream.

As he crossed the bridge, the dog looked down into the clear water below and saw another dog carrying an even bigger piece of meat.

He didn't realize it was only his own reflection. Overcome with greed for the bigger piece, he opened his mouth and barked at the reflection to snatch it away.

The moment he opened his mouth to bark, his own piece of meat fell straight into the water and floated away with the current, right before his eyes.

The dog could only stand there, sorry to have lost his meat because of his own greed. He learned an important lesson: never be so greedy for more that you forget the value of what you already have.

Being greedy for something that only appears bigger or better can cost us the good thing we already have.