Regarded with respect

Once upon a time, in a small kingdom, there lived a young prince named Leo, who was renowned across the land for his wisdom and intelligence. He loved to solve puzzles and riddles, and one of his favorite pastimes was to complete the daily crossword that appeared in the royal newspaper.

One day, Leo came across a clue that read, “Regarded with respect.” The answer had seven letters, and though Leo thought long and hard about it, he could not come up with a word that matched the description. Disappointed, he set the crossword aside and went for a walk in the royal gardens.

As he walked, he saw his subjects going about their daily lives. Farmers were tending to their crops, shopkeepers were serving customers, and children were playing together. Leo realized that every one of these people had qualities that were worthy of respect, whether it was their hard work, their kindness, or their honesty.

Feeling inspired, Leo returned to his crossword. Suddenly, the answer came to him: “ADMIRED.” He realized that he had been so focused on finding a noun or an adjective that he had overlooked the possibility of a verb. To “admire” someone is to regard them with respect, and he could think of no better word to fit the clue.

From that day on, Leo made a point of admiring the qualities he saw in his subjects and others around him. And every time he completed a crossword, he remembered the lesson he had learned about looking beyond the obvious and finding hidden connections.