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The Frog in the Milk Pail

Aesop Fable as Retold by Dr. Mike Lockett, The Normal Storyteller

 A little frog was hopping around the farmyard.  He was looking for good things to eat.  He found wonderfully juicy flies buzzing around the pig pen. “Gulp! Gulp!â€� Gone.

 Then, he ate some delicious crunchy spiders that hung from webs behind the feed trough.  “Gulp! Gulp!â€� Gone.

He saw a mosquito flying by and reached out with his long sticky tongue and grabbed it.  “Slurp, Gulp! Gulp!â€� Gone.

As he ate and as he explored new places, he saw a cricket hop into the milk shed.  The cricket hopped through the door.  So, the frog hopped through the door.

The cricket hopped up onto the milk stool.  So, the frog hopped up on the milk stool.  The cricket hopped up to the table top, and the frog hopped up to the table top.  The cricket hopped to the window ledge, and the frog hopped to the window ledge.  The cricket hopped out the window.  But the frog fell, “SPLASH!â€� right into the milk pail.

The pail was filled half way with fresh milk.  The level of the milk was too low for him to reach the top of the pail.  The sides of the pail were high, and he could not climb out.  The frog kicked, and he swam in circles until he became tired.  The frog tried to close his eyes just to rest for a few seconds, but he sank to the bottom of the pail where his nostrils filled with milk.  He could not breathe.

He used his legs to push off the bottom and kicked with all his might until he came to the surface again.  He was so afraid, and he was so tired.  He just wanted to rest.  But every time, he quit kicking, he sank into the milk again and started to drown.

The frog did not give in to his fear or his tired legs.  He kicked and he kicked and he kicked and he kicked.

Then, something strange happened.  The milk began to turn thicker around him.  At first, this make kicking even harder.  The thickened milk tried to suck him to the bottom of the pail.  It was harder than even to swim and to kick.  But, still the frog would not give up.

Finally, the milk turned thick enough that the frog could stand on top of it instead of sinking in.  The milk had been turned into butter through all the kicking and turning and churning of the frog.  The frog was able to climb out to safety and to return to his family.

When your life gets really tough.

When you think you’ve had enough

When the world works you to death

Just try to take a big deep breath

Try so hard before you rest

Keep on working, do your best

Don’t give until you’re done.

Don’t give up until you’ve won.

Never Give Up!