The Paddle Wheel

A long time ago, a paddle wheel turned the millstone for a town’s flour mill. The paddle was run by the constant flow of water from the millpond, and the water was guided by a gentle water fairy named Pooshla. Pooshla, like most fairies, loved gratitude, and since the miller and the townspeople were generous with their thanks, Pooshla was generous with the flowing water. When the gratitude began to thin and was replaced with feelings of expectation and privilege, Pooshla’s flow also began to thin ... until the flow eventually stopped. And so the paddle wheel stopped moving and the mill was abandoned. But many, many years later the gratitude returned — but in a most unexpected way.

This story honors the role gratitude plays in water conservation.