If you love something, set it free . . .

"If you love something, set it free and it will come back to you" was just one of the many banal cliches popular in the 1970s.  The truth is something less exciting.  Setting something free is often the right thing to do regardless of the outcome.

Today, I set my little frog free because it was the right thing for the frog.

In the last few days, our frog was taking field trips around the living room but returning to his bromelid to sleep each night.  This morning, however, I found him in the kitchen trapped between the glass and the screen of a partially opened window.  It was clear that our frog was longing to return to his outdoor home.

I carefully manipulated him into my cupped hands and transferred him outside to the herb garden which is full of bright green parsley.  He hopped off my hand and vanished into the foliage.

I was amazed at how sad I felt to be saying good-bye to him.  He brought so much laughter and joy into our home this winter.   Everyone in our family loved to greet him in his bromelid home and he didn't seem frightened in our presence.

We hope he is telling his froggy friends about his fantastic winter holiday. 

Good-bye, sweet green friend.  We will miss you.