From death of star to new star’s birth,
This ache of limb, this throb of head,
This sweaty shop, this smell of earth,
For this we pray, “Give daily bread.”
Then tenuous with dreams the night,
The feel of soft brown hands in mine,
Strength from your lips for one more fight
Bread’s not so dry when dipped in wine.
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Mistress and Her Servants. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.
The Fable
“A Widow, thrifty and industrious, had two servants, whom she
kept pretty hard at work. They were not allowed to lie long abed in
the mornings, but the old lady had them up and doing as soon as the
cock crew. They disliked intensely having to get up at such an
hour, especially in winter-time: and they thought that if it were
not for the cock waking up their Mistress so horribly early, they
could sleep longer. So they caught it and wrung its neck. But they
weren’t prepared for the consequences. For what happened was that
their Mistress, not hearing the cock crow as usual, waked them up
earlier than ever, and set them to work in the middle of the
night.
”
Note: I live near a large park with wilderness trails, warnings of rattlesnakes, coyotes, mountain lions, javelinas and more. I do not stray off the created trails. I witnessed a hawk diving toward an open space and snagging a squirrel. Good for the hawk, tough for the squirrel. There are consequences in nature. There are also consequences in our lives. Although we cannot foresee what will happen, we can predict outcomes with a high degree of accuracy. For example, if I continually show up late for work, I’ll be fired. Conversely, if I apply myself and work hard, I’ll succeed. Consequences can be good or bad. We have a choice.
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, North Wind and the Sun. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.
The Fable
“A dispute arose between the North Wind and the Sun, each
claiming that he was stronger than the other. At last they agreed
to try their powers upon a traveler, to see which could soonest
strip him of his cloak. The North Wind had the first try; and,
gathering up all his force for the attack, he came whirling
furiously down upon the man, and caught up his cloak as though he
would wrest it from him by one single effort: but the harder he
blew, the more closely the man wrapped it round himself. Then came
the turn of the Sun. At first he beamed gently upon the traveler,
who soon unclasped his cloak and walked on with it hanging loosely
about his shoulders: then he shone forth in his full strength, and
the man, before he had gone many steps, was glad to throw his cloak
right off and complete his journey more lightly clad.”
Note: We see it all around us. It doesn’t matter where we live. Many believe in the myth that power is better than gentle persuasion. Force may require physical compliance, but it never captures or converts the heart. St. Francis of Assisi said that the best sermons were those preached through one’s actions. Our lives matter and how we act takes on great significance when we realize others are watching us to see if the words we speak align with the actions we take.
“Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way.”
The Seedling
Paul Laurence Dunbar
As a quiet little seedling
Lay within its darksome bed,
To itself it fell a-talking,
And this is what it said:
“I am not so very robust,
But I’ll do the best I can;”
And the seedling from that moment
Its work of life began.
So it pushed a little leaflet
Up into the light of day,
To examine the surroundings
And show the rest the way.
The leaflet liked the prospect,
So it called its brother, Stem;
Then two other leaflets heard it,
And quickly followed them.
To be sure, the haste and hurry
Made the seedling sweat and pant;
But almost before it knew it
It found itself a plant.
The sunshine poured upon it,
And the clouds they gave a shower;
And the little plant kept growing
Till it found itself a flower.
Little folks, be like the seedling,
Always do the best you can;
Every child must share life’s labor
Just as well as every man.
And the sun and showers will help you
Through the lonesome, struggling hours,
Till you raise to light and beauty
Virtue’s fair, unfading flowers.
Joe: “The New York Times is interviewing my janitor friend, Mike.”
Pete: “Why are they interviewing him?”
Joe: “He knows where all the dirt is.”
“My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”
