In the old days, Buddha walked from town to town with his followers. One day, after they passed a lake, Buddha and his followers stopped to rest. He asked a disciple, 'I'm thirsty. Could you get me some water from that lake?'
When the disciple went to the lake, he saw people washing clothes in it. At the same time, a bullock cart started crossing from one side of the lake to the other. The water turned muddy, and the disciple thought it wasn't good for Buddha to drink.
He went back to Buddha and said, 'The water is very muddy and not good to drink.' Buddha then said to his disciples, 'Let's rest under this tree for a while.' After some time, Buddha asked the same disciple to get water from the lake again. The disciple went back to the lake and saw that the water was clear now. The mud had settled at the bottom, and the water above was good to drink. So, he collected some water in a container and brought it back to Buddha.
Buddha looked at the water, then at the disciple. 'You see, with time, the water becomes clear. The mud settles down by itself, and you get clear water. It didn't need any effort.'
If a friend gets upset with you even though you didn't do anything, should you not realize they've had a bad day? Be patient and give them some time; they'll come around. Just like water, let things settle on their own.
