Vera Gives Her Extra

Vera the fox is back at Barter’s Market, and she’s the quickest trader there — because she always knows exactly what to offer. “Easy!” she says, tail swishing. “You give the thing you’ve got extra of. The one you won’t even miss.”

One morning Vera had five grain and needed only one to eat. Four whole extra grain, just sitting in her basket! And she was short on wool for a scarf. So she didn’t fret, and she didn’t hold on to her grain “just in case.” She scooped up the grain she’d never use and offered it for wool.

“See?” she told little Fen, delighted. “I’ve got grain coming out my ears. Giving some away doesn’t cost me a thing — I’ve got plenty. But the wool I get? That’s the thing I was missing. So I give my extra grain, I get my missing wool, and both of me are happy!” She laughed. “And the pal I traded with? They were short on grain and swimming in wool. So they gave their extra and got their missing thing. Everybody gives what they’ve got too much of, everybody gets what they’re short on. That’s the whole trick!”

Fen thought about it. “So I shouldn’t offer my last stone?”

“Never your last one,” said Vera. “Offer the good you’ve got heaps of. If you’ve only got one stone and you need it, keep it! But if you’ve got five and need one — those other four are just sitting there being nothing. Trade them away for what you’re missing! A spare’s no use in a basket. It’s only useful once it becomes something else.”

And that’s why Vera never sits still with a full, lopsided basket. The moment she’s got too much of one thing, she trades her extra for the thing she’s short on — and both traders come away better.

Give the good you have EXTRA of — the one you won’t miss — and trade it for the good you’re short on. That’s Vera.