The Lessons Life Teaches, A Collection of Short Stories.

The Toad

Over the last five years I have worked night shift at a youth training facility for adjudicated youths 14 – 19 years old, in Elko, Nevada. Admittedly, it is a job that most people would not want. Your job is principally the care, custody and control of the youth in your assigned dorm from 11pm to 7am. Then one or two days a week I fill in for my supervisor making rounds between to four dorms on campus. Some nights when I have the responsibility to run the shift, I ask a question of each of the dorm supervisors to understand how people think. I try to steer clear of controversial subjects such as politics or religion because this is a State position and these subjects are not appropriate for this time or place.

One night on my first round, I noticed a toad was laying on the sidewalk by the back door of the school. It looked like someone had stepped on it and it died there. I picked it up and put it in the grass beside the sidewalk. Later in the shift, I asked each supervisor what they would do if they walked out the dorm and stepped on a toad. The caveat being that the toad was still alive but badly injured. Would they put the toad out of its misery, pick it up and place it in the grass beside the sidewalk or just ignore it and walk on? I was surprised by the diversity of comments. I was surprised that the majority of people would put the toad out of its misery. I was also surprised by how the question brought back memories of other real heart rendering situations. One staff nearly came to tears telling how his beloved dog had recently passed away in his yard, under a tree, in the morning sunshine. On the other side, one staff, that has since left, told me how he intentionally tried to run over rabbits that crossed the road. I made no judgment on any of the comments. But I learned a lot, not only of the differences in human nature, but also the power of the question. Not only did people think about the question at hand but also thought about past incidents in their own lives. The fundamental thing I learned is not everyone thinks the same about the same situation.