The Snail

Uncle Bubba rose on a cool morning. It rained during the night but the clouds had passed and the sun was peaking through the trees. As he walked out of his front door, the hot steam from his caldron of coffee was outright comforting against the damp air. Looking down he noticed a snail crossing his porch. He studied it for a moment, considering how long it must have taken to crawl its distance during the night. Thinking that he'd help it along it's way, he picked it up to place it on a rock in the flower garden. The moment he touched its shell the little snail quickly recoiled into it's curly little home upon its back. "Don't worry lil' fella." Bubbie said, "I'm just trying to help you. Wouldn't want you to get stepped on." He carefully placed the snail on the wet rock in the garden and walked back inside to finish getting ready for work. He walked out to his old black Ford pickup truck shortly thereafter and noticed the snail still in the same spot as where he had left it. "You'd better get moving my friend." Bubbie said. The thought crossed his mind that the little snail was exposed for a hedgehog to make a meal out of as he climbed into his truck and drove away. Returning home later in the day the little snail was gone. Uncle Bubba wondered if it crawled off or became a hedgehog hors d'oeuvre.

In Bubbie's view, this is the story of humanity. In our attempt to help others, we often put them in a position that they are not ready to deal with. Conversely, when we are moved out of our comfort zone we recoil and dig our heels in. Some folks never recover and are devoured by the very thing that they are trying to avoid.