There once was a mouse name Meeny. He really was quite sweet, and every day, he’d walk the street and quietly repeat: “Beck is my favorite rhyme.”

Now the townspeople murmured. They questioned and mused. They were never sure what Meeny meant. For he was tiny. As tiny as they come, and many thought he was insignificant. They didn’t care for him much.

But Meeny kept on. He repeated his phrase, “Beck is my favorite rhyme,” for he couldn’t utter more. He could only repeat and repeat and repeat.

The townspeople kept wondering, until one insignificant day, a small girl stopped and wondered enough. She listened to Meeny’s repeat. She wondered in her mind, until finally curiosity overtook her. She stooped down quite close. She stopped Meeny in his tracks. She whispered these few words into his tiny ear: “What is Beck, little Meeny? What does it rhyme with? Why do you repeat and repeat and repeat? Please tell me, for I’m aching to know. Please ease my curiosity.”

And with those few words, due to a little girl’s curiosity, Meeny’s life was changed for good. For he was under a curse. He could not speak more, until questioned and asked to explain further.

So, Meeny finally spoke. He did more than just repeat. He told the little girl his story of how he was once a great author. He was famous throughout the land, but the fame got to his head. He thought he was the best. He believed himself better than any other author. He enjoyed some classics, Dickens, Steinbeck, Stevenson, but he thought himself the greatest. So, one fateful day, a good fairy came his way and told him to change. She warned him that pride will catch up. You shouldn’t think yourself the best. Instead, you should celebrate others and strive to help when you can.

But the young author didn’t change. He didn’t see the point. “I am the best,” he’d muse. “Why should I lie?” So one fateful night, as he walked the street alone, the good fairy returned and set his fate in stone. He was turned into a meek mouse. A mouse so small he was hardly seen, and was forced to repeat those five words, “Beck is my favorite rhyme,” until someone asked him why. He was left alone with his thoughts. He could not utter another word. He could only read and appreciate others’ words, instead of write his own.

Through this long time of silence, he learned to appreciate others. He learned to wait and watch and listen. He learned that people need people. He became compassionate. He wished he could help others more. He wished he could write again to tell the stories of the ordinary man, but, alas, he could not. He was cursed to remain a mouse, until that one insignificant day where a small girl thought and paused.

In that one beautiful moment, Meeny the mouse turned back to a man. He rejoiced with the girl for reversing his curse and vowed to tell the stories again. He was a changed man. He believed in compassion. He knew that life was about living, not being the best. People are what matter, no matter how big or small. His life was changed because someone decided to pause. Someone cared enough to ask. That’s the greatest lesson of all: Don’t ever be too busy or haughty to share a moment with a stranger who needs help. Let your curiosity run wild. Ask the burning question. Engage with those around you, and take a moment or two to listen.