The fence

There once was a boy who had a temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger the number of nails hammered gradually dwindled down.
He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when he didn't lose his temper. He told his father and his father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his anger. The days passed and the boy told his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took the boy by the hand and led him to the fence. He said look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same, when you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like the ones on the fence. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. it won't matter how many times you say I am sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare. they make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, and always want to open their hearts to us.