Long ago in Japan, a frog lived in the city of Osaka and always dreamed of visiting the beautiful city of Kyoto, while another frog lived in Kyoto and dreamed of visiting Osaka.

By pure coincidence, on the very same day, each frog decided to set out on foot for the other city. After a long day of hopping and growing tired, the two frogs met exactly halfway, at the top of a tall mountain separating the two cities.

Delighted to meet a new friend who shared the very same goal, the Osaka frog said, Since we are here on top of the mountain, why not look at both cities before continuing, just to make sure the journey is worth the effort?

The two frogs stood up tall on their back legs to see far into the distance, but a frog's eyes sit on top of its head. When they stood up straight, each city appeared to look exactly like the city they had come from, because without realizing it, they were actually looking backward.

Each frog believed the other city looked just like his own, so each decided the journey was no longer necessary, and they turned back happily, thinking they had lost nothing, even though neither of them had truly seen the city he had wished to visit.

The Lesson: Hasty decisions based on a shallow glance can make us miss out on wonderful opportunities.