Once upon a time, in a lush village surrounded by verdant fields and singing brooks, there lived a young milkmaid named Patty. Patty was known for her hard work and her daydreams, which were as plentiful as the stars in the night sky.
One morning, after milking her cow, Patty filled a shiny metal pail to the brim with fresh, creamy milk. She balanced the pail on her head and began her journey to the market, her mind wandering far ahead of her feet.
“As I sell this milk,” Patty mused, “I’ll buy a dozen eggs. And those eggs, under the careful warmth of my hen, will become a dozen strong chicks. No doubt, some will be hens, which in turn will lay more eggs.”
Her smile broadened as her castle in the air grew taller. “And then, I’ll sell those eggs and buy myself a new dress. Not just any dress, but the finest dress in the village. When I wear it at the fair, everyone will look at me. All the young men will admire me, but I will just toss my head and pass them by.”
Lost in her reverie, Patty began to mimic the very action of her daydream. She tossed her head back with a haughty air, forgetting entirely about the pail of milk perched atop it. In an instant, the pail came crashing down, spilling the milk into the thirsty earth below.
Patty watched in dismay as her dreams dissolved with the milk into the ground.
She realized, too late, that her daydreams, built upon the milk she hadn’t yet sold, were as fragile as the morning dew.
Moral of The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.