The Little Boy and the Old Man
Shel Silverstein
Said the little boy, “Sometimes I drop my spoon.”
Said the old man, “I do that too.”
The little boy whispered, “I wet my pants.”
“I do that too,” laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, “I often cry.”
The old man nodded, “So do I.”
“But worst of all,” said the boy, “it seems
Grown-ups don’t pay attention to me.”
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
“I know what you mean,” said the little old man.
Joseph Campbell speaks of the importance of ritual when sitting down to eat in Reflections on the Art of Living. He says, “Ritual introduces you to the meaning of what’s going on. Saying grace before meals lets you know that you’re about to eat something that was once alive. When eating a meal, realize what you were doing. Hunting peoples thank the animals for having giving itself. They feel gratitude. The main ritual of mature, hunting tribes, like those of the Americas, were addressed to the animal. On the northwest coast, the principal rites were when the first wave of salmon came in, and they were intended to than the salmon. The life of the animal that you’ve taken is given back when you recognize what you’ve done. And so, sitting down to eat, realize what you are doing: you are eating a life that has been given so that you might live. P. 90
Note: The ritual of grace before meals or some form of expression of gratitude for what we are about to eat seems to me to be important. We are not entitled to the food, it is all a gift. Something died to feed us whether it is an animal, fish, or plant. Human beings other than us worked so we could eat. There is a line of people who made our meal possible from the grocery to the farmer or rancher. Yes, a heartfelt THANK YOU for this food is a worthy ritual.
I haven’t a single person who has told me, “When I wake up I make a decision to not be happy. Unhappiness is my goal.” We all want to be happy, some seem to have higher levels of happiness than others. What’s the difference? According to an article on Inc.com, there are five ways to make ourselves happier: exercise, practicing kindness, being grateful, surrounding ourselves with people we love, and letting ourselves be happy. Happiness is within our grasp. Happy people grasp know where to look
Make the most of the moment. One never knows what tomorrow will bring. Filling the moment with love and kindness leaves a trail for others to follow. You’ll never lead them down a wrong path. Ignore the noise, ignore what doesn’t contribute to love and kindness. Tomorrow will work out, you’re building a strong foundation.
We all make mistakes. It’s part of the human condition. There’s no way we can undo something we’ve already done or said. It’s why forgiveness is so important to every relationship. It’s important for us to forgive; and, equally important to be forgiven. That’s the tough stuff in relationship building. I knew a guy who divorced after 25 years. He claimed that working at a relationship is too hard. I felt sorry for him. Last I knew he lived alone with his dog. It takes courage to work through the messy stuff and forgive. It takes more courage to learn from the events and use the learning to build a better relationship.
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