In the east there is a shark which is larger than all other fish. It changes into a bird whose wings are like clouds filling the sky. When this bird moves across the land, it brings a message from Corporate Headquarters. This message it drops into the midst of the programmers, like a seagull making its mark upon the beach. Then the bird mounts on the wind and, with the blue sky at its back, returns home.

The novice programmer stares in wonder at the bird, for he understands it not.
The average programmer dreads the coming of the bird, for he fears its message.
The master programmer continues to work at his terminal, for he does not know that the bird has come and gone.

-- Geoffrey James
The Tao of Programing