The Puppy Who Wouldn't Wait His Turn

At the park, three puppies lined up to drink from the water bowl on a hot afternoon. Buster the puppy did not want to wait. He shoved past the others, spilling water everywhere, and gulped down as much as he could before anyone could stop him.

But in his rush, he knocked the bowl clean over, and the water soaked into the grass before anyone else got a single sip — including Buster himself, who had barely had three gulps before the bowl tipped.

The park keeper sighed and went to refill it, but it took several long, thirsty minutes. The other two puppies waited patiently in the shade, panting but calm. Buster paced back and forth, hotter and thirstier with every passing second, wishing more than anything that he had just waited his turn the first time.

When the bowl was finally refilled, Buster held back, letting the other two drink first. To his surprise, his own turn came only a minute later — and this time, the bowl was still full when it reached him.

From then on, whenever Buster felt the urge to shove ahead, he thought about that afternoon of waiting hot and thirsty in the sun, and it helped him stand still just a little longer. The other puppies noticed, too, and started saving him a spot in line without even being asked.

By the end of the summer, Buster had become the puppy other dogs trusted to go first, because everyone knew he would take just his share and step aside for the next one. His mother, watching from the shade, thought that was a far better thing to be known for than the fastest drinker at the park.

One hot afternoon, a brand new puppy showed up at the park, tail wagging with excitement, and made straight for the water bowl without waiting. Buster remembered exactly how that felt, so instead of getting cross, he simply said, "There's plenty for everyone if we take turns," and showed the new pup how the line worked. It only took one lesson for the newest puppy at the park to learn what had once taken Buster a whole thirsty afternoon.

Moral: Waiting your turn usually gets you what you want faster than rushing ever could.