Life doesn't always hand us what we want when we want it. In those times there's the temptation to shortcut, or to do the unethical, or to run from the problem. It's then that we need to keep our eyes on our goals and keep plugging along, honestly and diligently.

A farmer's crops failed one year because of the drought. The previous year there had been too much rain, and it had flooded everything. The year before that he'd suffered due to an influx of imports. Discouraged, the farmer went fishing far off the beaten path along a wilderness stream. He caught a few trout, then lay on the bank to enjoy the sandwiches he had brought for lunch. A beaver appeared, dragging a branch. It chose a spot where the stream split off into a little rivulet, then placed the branch where the water rippled ove…