Trusting Yourself

I have been walking in the desert for days without water.

I come upon a well. I draw from it. Beautiful, glistening water dazzles me. Hardly able to believe my eyes, I take a sip. It is marvelous.

Suddenly from behind, I hear a voice. "You must not drink from that well."

I turn to look. There is a man there, a stranger to me. I must have been so consumed in the moment that my ears did not mark his arrival.

"I am sorry. I haven't had a drink for days. Is this your well?"

"No. But that well is poisoned. You will die if you drink from it."

I look at the water. It has not wronged me. It has not offended me. Instead, it has quenched my thirst.

"Death has been at my very heels. If I die by this draft, I will die happy."

I continue to drink.