The Fable of the Tiny Genie

While digging in his garden, a landscaper found a small, metal lantern. When he rubbed the lantern, out popped a genie. It was a very small genie, only five inches tall. The landscaper said, “Are you a genie?”

The little genie said, “Yes! Whatever you say, master.”

“Will you grant me wishes?”

“Yes! Whatever you say, master.”

“OK. Then jump up into my pocket.”

“Yes! Whatever you say, master.” And, the genie jumped up into the man’s pocket.

When the landscaper got home, he had a lot of fun with the genie. “Bring me a glass of water.”

“Yes! Whatever you say, master.” And, the genie jumped up on the counter, lifted a glass that was bigger than he was, managed to put it down under the faucet, turn the faucet on, turn it off once the glass was full, and brought him the glass of water. It was amazing what this tiny genie could do. The genie’s abilities were truly astonishing.

He ordered the genie to do all sorts of little chores, and the genie did them with great glee and gusto. The man enjoyed it too.

Then the landscaper remembered that he needed to load his truck with heavy equipment from his garage into his truck for delivery the next morning. He rubbed the lantern. The genie came out. “Load the equipment into the truck.”

“Yes! Whatever you say, master.” And the little genie started skipping toward the door.

“Hold on,” said the landscaper. “You are too small for that. You couldn’t possibly load heavy equipment..”

“Yes! Whatever you say, master,” said the little genie, and the genie turned around and jumped back into the lantern.

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Moral: Each of us has a little genie. It’s our spirit. It’s our possibility. It does amazing, magical things for us. It does what we ask it to do. It stops working when we tell it, “You’re too small. You can’t do that.”