Once upon a time, there was a little boy who was very thirsty. He went to a pump and eagerly drank the water that came out of it. The little boy was very polite and thanked the pump for the water. But the pump said, “I am not the one you should thank. I only help the water run.”
The little boy was curious and asked where the water came from. The pump told him that the water came from a spring up the hill. The little boy thanked the spring for the water. But the spring said, “Don’t thank me, I need the help of the rain and dew to give you water.”
So the little boy thanked the rain and dew. But they said, “Don’t thank us, we need the sun to give you water.” The little boy thanked the sun for the water. But the sun said, “Don’t thank me, I got the water from the ocean.”
The little boy thanked the ocean for the water. But the ocean said, “Don’t thank me, thank the one who created everything, who gives us all good things.” The little boy took off his cap and said, “Thank you nature, for the water and all good things.”
Credits
Emilie Poulsson was a 19th-century American author and educator best known for her gentle, morally thoughtful stories and finger plays for young children. She had a gift for weaving natural observation into simple narratives, and "Watery Thanks" reflects that approach — using the everyday act of drinking water to trace an entire ecological and philosophical journey.
