Nail in the Fence

A friend e-mailed me this very inspiring story. Read on...


There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there."

A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.

YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM HONORED!
Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole.



There are times when we get so mad that we tend to utter nasty things even if we don't mean them. As recounted in the article, 'a verbal wound is as bad as a physical one,' let me just add, sometimes it's even worse. Of course we know that we can apologize for the things said and admit that they are just spur of the moment stuff; but like what the story implies, a repugnant scar remains. Most of the time it's not just a 'wording' issue. It boils down to respect, I believe lack of it is what leaves those holes. Next time you get so mad, that you tend to verbalize your anger in an ill-mannered way, try to keep your silence... then think... do you mean what you're about to say? Is it really what you wanna say and the way you want to say it? Is it worth the pain that you might cause? I hope the article can help you avoid leaving those holes :) And if you're someone who has been left with holes, remember that you are very special and you shouldn't let anybody bring you down with those offensive words.

Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole :)