Once a wise man and his student traveled on the horses to a mountain village which even couldn't be found in a map. They were well1at a small house by a family of five. The wise man asked, "How do you live in such a2place?"
"That's what keeps us going," said the host, pointing to a thin and tired3. "She gives us milk, some of which we drink and some we make into cheese. When there is extra, we4the milk and cheese for other food."
The wise man5them and left the village. When he reached the first turning in the road, he said to his student, "Go back and get the cow, take it to the cliff(悬崖) and push it off."6the student was shocked and angry, he obeyed.
Years later, the student still felt so7what he had done, so he returned to the poor family to find out what he could do.8, in place of the small house there9a large one with trees all around. He recognize(辨认) the host standing on the opposite who once treated him. He10to the man and asked, "What happened?"
The man replied with a smile, "Our cow fell off the cliff and died. Firstly, we lost heart and didn't know how to survive. Later, we faced the fact and tried to11new ways of doing things and develop new skills. And so, we are now much12."
The story did teach us a good lesson. Sometimes we13something small and limited. That is the biggest obstacle(障碍) to our growth. Once you14yourself of the thought "it's little but it's certain," then your life will really change. I hope you have the15to recognize your "cow" this new year, and the courage to push it off the cliff.
