The title of this entry comes from "Garden Party," a 1972 song by Ricky Nelson. Normally I try to avoid low-hanging fruit like this, but every once in a while it's a good idea to reinforce some of the more obvious points as they can sometimes get overlooked.

First, it's extremely important to realize that different people are pleased by different things. One person may love mystery stories, while another hates them. That's okay. We're meant to be different. Second, and perhaps more important, we have to keep in mind that we're not here to make other people happy. Yes, we want to please our parents, teachers, religious leaders, etc., etc., but it's more important to stay true to ourselves and live the life that makes us happy rather than trying to live a life that makes someone else happy. Because, in the end, no matter how good we might become at something, if it's not something we chose to make ourselves happy, we're not going to be happy doing it. We really are supposed to follow our bliss. Or, as Mike Dooley says, our job here is to be ourselves, and that means doing what makes us happy.

As I wrote at the top, I try to stay away from low-hanging fruit, and that includes the tales I reference. But in this case, Aesop's fable of "The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey" makes this point about as clear as it can get.

A man and his son were walking with their donkey to the market. As they were walking, a man passed by them and said, "You fools. What is a donkey for if not to be ridden?" So the man put his son on the donkey and they kept walking. But they hadn't gone far before they passed a group of men. One of them remarked, "See that lazy boy, he rides while his father walks." So the man told his son to get off the donkey and he got on. A short time later they passed two women. One of the women said to the other, "Shame on that lazy man to make his poor son trudge along beside him." The man was at a loss for a time, but at last he told the boy to come up on the donkey with him. By this time they had arrived at the town and people began to point and laugh at them. When the man asked someone why the man replied, "Aren't you and your son ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey?" Both the man and his son got down from the donkey and thought about what to do. At last they came up with a solution. They cut down a pole, tied the donkey's feet to it, then hefting the donkey on their shoulders continued toward the market, ignoring the laughter all around them. But when they got to the Market Bridge, the donkey, having gotten one back leg free, kicked out, causing the son to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle, the donkey fell over the bridge and into the water where, with its front legs still tied, it drowned. "That will teach you," said an old man who had been following the man and his son the whole time. "Try to please all and you will please none."

While it may be somewhat blasphemous to add anything to a fable by Aesop, I do want to add just one small note to the moral. And that is, sometimes pleasing yourself will DISplease someone else. And you have to accept that. Whether it's the books you read, the music you listen to, or the way you dress, you have to do what pleases you, regardless of the outcome. It will have consequences, some of which might be painful, but if it's what makes you happy -- TRULY happy -- then you must do it. Because, in the end, you're the one who will be most miserable if you don't do it.

Have a question, problem, thought, or just a comment? Want to know what fairy tales say about some other topic? Send it to me and I'll post it here!