On the cold, rocky crags of the moon lived a lone vulture named Vee. With no air to fly through, Vee spent her days watching the Earth hover in space from afar.
"How lovely that blue planet looks," she thought. "I wish I could explore its mountains and skies." But with no atmosphere on the moon, Vee was confined to the lunar ground, her wings useless.
One day, a rocket appeared carrying astronauts on a mission. Vee watched with curiosity and envy as they roamed the surface. She wanted to understand why humans ventured so far from their home.
Mustering her courage, Vee approached the astronauts. "Excuse me, visitors from Earth," she asked. "Why have you come here?"
The astronauts jumped back, startled by the talking vulture. But then one astronaut stepped forward and replied, "To learn and explore, so that we may better cherish the wonders of our own planet."
Vee pondered this answer. For the first time, she thought about how her longing to visit Earth meant she was taking her lunar home for granted.
From then on, Vee gazed at the Earth with greater empathy and hope—understanding how precious one's home is, no matter how far we may wander. She vowed to nourish an appreciation for her own world.
The lesson? True wisdom comes not from envying other realms, but from embracing the magic in our own backyards. For when we open our eyes with empathy, we gain the vision to see treasures before us we never noticed before.