Long ago, Adana lived in a small village in Africa. Each villager had his job to do, and they dependedon one another. When Adana turned ten, her mother told her to be the water girl for the villagers.
Adana promised to do this job well because all the villagers needed her water to drink and wash. The first day she met another water girl from a nearby village. She asked the girl, "How long will it take to carry water back to my village?"
The girl thought for minutes and answered, "If you go slowly, it will not take very long. But if you go fast, it will take you all day. "
Adana listened, and thought about what the girl had told her. She did not believe her. Adana couldn't wait to send water back. She even ran slowly back toward her village. Half way home, she stopped to drink a little water. When she did, she found that the buckets were only half full. Some water was gone.
Disheartened, she turned back to spring. Once again, she made the bucket full. Then, she walked slowly back.
When she arrived, her little sister asked, "How long does it take to carry water back from the spring?"
Adana smiled and said, "If you go slowly, it will not take very long. But if you go fast it could take all day. "Adana's little sister listened, but thought this was a strange thing to say. From that day on, Adana walked quickly to spring each morning. On her way home, she walked slowly and carefully.
