THE WORM
(On Courage)
Weak-ee Worm:
“Inch inch, inch inch, inch inch, inch inch.”
Augie:
“Good morning, Weak-ee. Each day you wander around my cart and I always hear you say ‘inch inch’. Why do you say ‘inch inch’ over and over?”
Weak-ee Worm:
“So slow, so slow. Never there, never there.”
Augie:
“I am made of wood. I cannot inch, inch. I cannot move at all. Does that mean I will never be where I am supposed to be? Does being slow or unable to move at all make someone or something unable to reach their goals?”
Weak-ee Worm:
“Not strong, not strong. No hope, no hope.”
Augie:
“I must disagree with you, Weak-ee. Having hope has nothing to do with physical strength. All you need is courage to get to where you want to be.”
Weak-ee Worm:
“Can’t win, can’t win. Always last, always last.”
Augie:
“Weak-ee, just because it takes you a long time to get something done, that does not mean that what you do isn’t important or useful. You can win at anything, and it doesn’t matter if you are last. Inside of my cart are my colorful friends, the flowers. Go and speak with Glenna Geranium. She will tell you all about purpose and courage.”
Weak-ee Worm:
“Go see, go see. Maybe learn, maybe learn.”
Glenna Geranium:
“Girls, look who’s here! It’s dear little Weak-ee Worm. We are always so happy when you visit us, Weak-ee!”
Weak-ee Worm:
“Why happy, why happy? So slow, so slow. Useless, useless. Very weak, very weak.”
Glenna Geranium:
“Weak-ee, you are from a strong family of earthworms. We certainly admire your steady, daily work here in Augie’s cart. Because of you and Sollie Sun and Rollie Raindrop, we geraniums are strong and such a vivid, red color.”
Weak-ee Worm:
“How me, how me? What good, what good?”
Glenna Geranium:
“Because of the way you burrow into the soil, you help to aerate and enrich the dirt where we live. It takes great courage to do that simple, but life-giving task over and over every day. We are all very proud to know such a fine, brave worm.”
Doris Daisy:
“So true, Glenna. We flowers know a great deal about courage. See how we stand against the elements, Weak-ee. Heavy rain, strong wind, terrible draught, and still we grow colorful and so healthy. Courage is seen in every species. That’s how we know you are very brave. No matter what happens, you always get your job done and help us stay strong and beautiful!”
Augie:
“Now can you understand better how important you are, Weak-ee? Do you know you are truly brave?”
Weak-ee Worm:
“I believe, I believe. Not weak, not weak. Good job, good job!”
AUGIE’S MORAL:
Some of our jobs seem very small, but each one is important and worthwhile. The greatest courage is often found inch by inch. When we are brave, the job’s a cinch.