Fixing things

There once was a little wooden boat that leaked a tiny bit every morning. Each day the boat’s owner found one small crack and carefully sealed it with a drop of pitch. Some days the leak was almost invisible. Some days the water still seeped in a little. But the owner never stopped. One quiet evening, after many small repairs, the boat floated all night without taking on a single drop. The other boats asked, “How did you become so strong so suddenly?” The little boat answered softly, “I didn’t. I just kept fixing things, changing little things … day by day.”