Crossroads

One day a tired traveler stopped at a crossroads to rest.

He had been walking for most of the day, so it felt good to sit and
rest. It was a very nice place to rest. The grass was soft and cool in
the shade under tall trees. A small stream rushed through the rocks
behind him. Birds fluttered overhead. Two dusty roads crossed in front,
heading off to faraway lands and far-off adventure. All in all, it was
a most peaceful spot.

This is a perfect place, the traveler thought as he sat on the grass. A
place to rest, to watch interesting people go by, and to dream about
what might be.

But after awhile the man felt something poking him as he sat. It was a
small rock, so he picked it up and threw it into the stream. He sat
back, but another rock poked him.
Hmmm, he thought. This is an almost perfect place, and I know how to
make it completely perfect.

He set to work, hunting for the right pieces of wood lying about in the
nearby forest. From his backpack he found a hammer and some nails, and
soon he had made a small bench. He sat down on it and smiled. Much
better than sitting on the grass. In fact, it was perfect.

Soon another traveler came along. He saw the first traveler sitting on
a bench in the cool shade by the refreshing stream.

"Hello," he said. "Do you mind if I have a seat?"

"Not at all," the first man said, making room on the bench.

The two travelers sat there enjoying the peace and quiet. But soon, it
began to rain, and even the trees did not keep them dry. The second man
said to the first, "You know, this is a nice spot. Almost perfect. All
it needs is some shelter."

So the two set to work. They found some more wood, and soon they had
built a small roof over their bench. They sat inside, cozy and dry, and
were happy.

After awhile, a third traveler came along, and saw the two sitting on a
bench under a roof out of the rain. "Do you mind," he asked, "if I come
in out of the rain?"

"Not at all," they said. So the three squeezed together under the
shelter.

"You know," the third traveler said after awhile. "This is a nice spot.
Almost perfect. It's just that this shelter is a little small. It would
be so much nicer if we had a bigger shelter."

So they set to work. Soon, they had built a little house, with the
stream out back and a nice porch out front to watch the people go by.
Of course, they had to cut down the tall trees that had provided the
shade in order to make room for the house, but that didn't mean it
couldn't still be perfect.

It was a very nice place to sit, that nice front porch. And travelers
who came along asked if they, too, could sit for just a moment or two
on the porch. It was such a nice place just to sit and visit and talk
and rest.

After awhile, the first traveler said to the other two, "You know, a
lot of people come down these roads, and if all of them who stop at
this crossroads stop in here to sit on our porch, they'll be thirsty
and hungry."

So they set to work. Soon, they were offering food and drinks to
people, and the porch was a busy place indeed.

After awhile, the second traveler said, "You know, these people are all
having a good time on our porch. All they need now is a place to spend
the night."

So they set to work. Soon, they had built another, bigger house for
people to sleep in. Of course, they had to cut down more trees to build
the house. And they had to dam the stream so they could get more and
more water for all the people.

It wasn't long before some of the travelers who stopped at the
crossroads thought that they, too, would like to live here in this
nice, pleasant spot. So they cleared more space, and cut more trees,
and built more houses.
After awhile, everyone decided that it would be a good thing to pave
those dusty roads that crossed out front, so they set to work. Soon the
roads were shiny black, and were neither dusty nor muddy. But so many
people came to the crossroads now that they had to put up a
stoplight.

After awhile, bigger houses were built, and stores and businesses and
factories, too. It was such a nice spot, everyone wanted to live and
work there, so the buildings got bigger and taller, soaring into the
sky higher than any tree ever could. Soon there weren't any trees left,
or a stream, but the tall buildings provided shade, and water came out
of a faucet. Everyone agreed that it was just about perfect.

In fact, the only thing missing, everyone said, was a place just to sit
and rest, to watch the people go by, and to dream about what might
be.

So they set to work. They found an old house that nobody lived in
anymore and tore it down. They made a small trickle of water flow
nearby so that it looked kind of like a stream. They planted some grass
and they planted some trees. When they were done, they had made a
little park in the middle of the big city - a nice place to sit, with a
crossroads right there in front so you could watch the world go
by.

"You know," some people said, "this is a nice spot, but it would be
even better with a bench to sit on."

But other people looked at the park and shook their heads. "No," they
said. "It's perfect just like this."