For several years…I’ve had a little gadget on my desk…the base is a magnet…and it 
had ten little metal men…which are clips…that could be arranged in multiple ways…I’m sure it’s meant to be…a…stress reliever…
At first…I kept it over to the side…accessible only to me…and…every so often…but not very…I would play with them…
Until…
One day…I moved it to the other side of the desk…and…very interested children…started to play with it…and…what I noticed was…it kept their attention…as they were waiting for medicine…or a band aid…they were totally mesmerized…by the magnet…and…the ten little men…
And…then…just like the…little Indian song…there were…nine…and…eight…and…seven…
Until…there were…six…
A student recently observed…that someone had been…stealing…my little men…as she played with them…between inhaler puffs…implying that I should do something…to…prevent it from happening…
Thankfully…Bertha…had gone to work with me that day…and…she explained…that…yes…having the little men accessible…put them at risk…but…that when they were out of harm’s way…so to speak…there was…no pleasure…no one enjoyed them…and…that it was worth the risk…of losing them…for all the pleasure they brought…
Her answer seemed to satisfy the student…who returned to class…leaving me to…contemplate…the message…that…Bertha…was actually giving me…
And…it came out as this…
Sometimes in life…playing it safe…isn’t playing…at all…
Hmmm…
Jane
