If Frogs Had Wings
Bill: "If frogs had wings, they wouldn’t bump their butts on the rocks.” (American folk Proverb) Now that's a sentence you don't hear every day.
Sheri: Hm…not sure that expression has ever “leaped” across my path before. 😊
Bill: Well, it’s an old saying with both a playful grin and a serious point. Sure, if frogs had wings, they could soar over every obstacle. No rocks. No bumps. No bruised frog bottoms. However, frogs don't have wings, and wishing they did doesn't change reality.
And there it is: Wishing our problems would magically disappear doesn’t change reality either.
Sometimes we catch ourselves thinking, if only I were younger... richer... smarter... luckier... If only circumstances were different, then everything would work out. That's wishful thinking, imagining a reality that doesn't exist and then waiting for it to arrive.
Positive thinking is different. Positive thinking begins by looking reality squarely in the eye, acknowledging the rocks and recognizing the bumps. Then it asks, “What can I do from here?”
Sheri: A friend of ours dreamed of writing a book. For years he talked about it. He wished he had more time, more knowledge, and better connections.
One day he finally stopped wishing and started writing - one page at a time. The reality was that he was busy and inexperienced. The positive part was believing he could improve. Eventually, he got better and with a bit more time and effort, those pages became a finished book.
Bill: Another friend hoped to get healthier. She wished for the energy she had twenty years earlier so she could make it happen.
Finally, one day she accepted where she was and began taking short walks around her neighborhood. Five minutes became ten. Ten became thirty. With time and effort – not just wishing - she did get healthier. Not overnight, but she did.
Wishful thinking says, "If frogs had wings..." Positive thinking says, "Since frogs don't have wings, let's figure out the best way across the pond." Wishful thinking waits for impossible conditions. Positive thinking creates possible progress.
Life may hand us rocks, bumps, and unexpected detours. And Last time we checked there were no wings or perfect circumstances. But we do have choices, determination, and the ability to move forward one leap (or hop?) at a time.
Positive thinking isn't pretending the rocks aren't there. It's believing that even without wings, you can develop a way to reach the other side.
Happy landings!
Sheri & Bill, Storytellers in Word Image and Song
Positive Reflections... Likeminded Perspectives
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." — Roosevelt |
"Little by little does the trick." — Aesop |
Our personal favorite:
"He who waits for roast duck to fly into his mouth must wait a very long time." — Chinese proverb |
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