7
A traveler demanded speed. The bridge keeper offered a lesson.
The Demand – “Take my coin and lift the gate,” the traveler snapped.
The Pause – The keeper held the coin to the light. “You’ll cross either way,” he said, “but which crossing will cross you?”
The Choice – Impatient, the traveler snatched back the coin and tried the river ford—lost a wheel, a day, and his temper.
The Return – He came back mud-streaked. The keeper raised the gate—no coin taken.
The Lesson – “A coin can buy the bridge,” the keeper said, “but only patience buys the arrival.”
Life Lessons
- Price and cost are not the same.
- Haste taxes you twice: in mistakes and in mending.
- Some gates rise for humility, not money.
