Relationship

Thinking Out Loud – From Aesop’s Fables – All Work is Significant

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Lion and the Mouse. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“A Lion asleep in his lair was waked up by a Mouse running over

his face. Losing his temper he seized it with his paw and was about

to kill it. The Mouse, terrified, piteously entreated him to spare

its life. “Please let me go,” it cried, “and one day I will repay

you for your kindness.” The idea of so insignificant a creature

ever being able to do anything for him amused the Lion so much that

he laughed aloud, and good-humoredly let it go. But the Mouse’s

chance came, after all. One day the Lion got entangled in a net

which had been spread for game by some hunters, and the Mouse heard

and recognized his roars of anger and ran to the spot. Without more

ado it set to work to gnaw the ropes with its teeth, and succeeded

before long in setting the Lion free. “There!” said the Mouse, “you

laughed at me when I promised I would repay you: but now you see,

even a Mouse can help a Lion.”

 Note: We need each other.  Our work may seem insignificant, but it’s not. All work is honorable and significant. My mom worked in a shoe shop for much of her adult life. She worked piece-time, e.g., she was paid by how many pieces she could process in a day. Somewhere on our planet someone was wearing shoes that she contributed in small part to their making. My dad worked in shoe shops, tended bar, and worked as a custodian. All three jobs may appear insignificant, but each job brought benefit to other people. The work you do is significant. Honor it, be grateful for it.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Be Wise, Listen and Evaluate

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Wolf and the Lamb. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“A Wolf came upon a Lamb straying from the flock, and felt some

compunction about taking the life of so helpless a creature without

some plausible excuse; so he cast about for a grievance and said at

last, “Last year, sirrah, you grossly insulted me.” “That is

impossible, sir,” bleated the Lamb, “for I wasn’t born then.”

“Well,” retorted the Wolf, “you feed in my pastures.” “That cannot

be,” replied the Lamb, “for I have never yet tasted grass.” “You

drink from my spring, then,” continued the Wolf. “Indeed, sir,”

said the poor Lamb, “I have never yet drunk anything but my

mother’s milk.” “Well, anyhow,” said the Wolf, “I’m not going

without my dinner”: and he sprang upon the Lamb and devoured it

without more ado.”

 

.Note: I’ve heard this fable told another way, a scorpion asks a frog to carry him across a river. The frog refused telling the scorpion, that he didn’t want the scorpion to bite him. The scorpion swore an oath that he would not bite the frog. The frog agreed to transport the scorpion. When they reached the other side of the river, the scorpion bit the frog. The frog gasped, ‘But you swore an oath.’ ‘Ha, said the scorpion, I only can be what I am, a scorpion.’ Both tales caution us to be wary of those who will try to dupe us to accomplish get their way. A rule of thumb to remember, “The best predictor of future performance is past performance.”

Thinking Out Loud ~ Beware the Criticism and Flattery

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Fox and the Crow. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“A Crow was sitting on a branch of a tree with a piece of cheese

in her beak when a Fox observed her and set his wits to work to

discover some way of getting the cheese. Coming and standing under

the tree he looked up and said, “What a noble bird I see above me!

Her beauty is without equal, the hue of her plumage exquisite. If

only her voice is as sweet as her looks are fair, she ought without

doubt to be Queen of the Birds.” The Crow was hugely flattered by

this, and just to show the Fox that she could sing she gave a loud

caw. Down came the cheese, of course, and the Fox, snatching it up,

said, “You have a voice, madam, I see: what you want is wits.”

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Note: A mentor took me aside and gave me the following advice. My mentor said, “Ray, don’t pay too much attention to the criticism you’ll receive. There are some people who think their life’s mission is to bring others down. Similarly, don’t pay too much attention to those who flatter you. Yes, it feels good, but it’s about as accurate as the criticism. He was right and his words helped me to maintain my balance.

Thinking Out Loud ~ If We Don’t Bend, We Break

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Dog and Sow. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“A Dog and a Sow were arguing and each claimed that its own young

ones were finer than those of any other animal. “Well,” said the

Sow at last, “mine can see, at any rate, when they come into the

world: but yours are born blind.”

 

Note: I’ve observed arguments between intelligent people who both claim to be right. I noticed when they were arguing there was plenty of room to compromise, yet they couldn’t. They refused to see where they did agree and only could see where they disagreed. Because of their high intelligence they kept making their point and showing where the other was weaker. And this went on and on. Finally, the meeting would end with nothing resolved; they would pick up where they left off at the next meeting. Does this make sense? It doesn’t to me. Yet it happens all the time. It happens in our relationships and in our work life. When we ask ourselves a better questions such as where we agree,  or, how can we move forward and resolve this issue Will lead to better results and more peaceful relationships.

 

Photo for Today ~ We’re Better Together

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Thinking Out Loud ~ Take Time to Reflect on What is Important

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs.

The Fable

A Man and his Wife had the good fortune to possess a Goose which laid a Golden Egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it in order to secure the whole store of precious metal at once. But when they cut it open they found it was just like any other goose. Thus, they neither got rich all at once, as they had hoped, nor enjoyed any longer the daily addition to their wealth.

Note: It’s easy to get caught in the trap of wanting more and not being satisfied with what we have. It’s all around us; it may be happening to us and we don’t even know it. We may be sacrificing our relationships it to get more and give up the time we once enjoyed with the people we love. We may acquire what we are chasing and lose everything we have. Take time to reflect on what is important. It will make all the difference in your life.

Thinking Out Loud ~ It is a Great Mystery

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Saint-Exupéry writes that it has been six years since the Little Prince left. He reflects on the Little Prince’s visit. He writes:

Sometimes I say to myself, “Once in a while we are distracted and that’s enough! He forgot, one night, the glass globe, or even the sheep came out silently during the night . . . .  “ So the bells drown in tears!

Look at the sky. Ask yourself: “The sheep did or did not eat the flower?” And you will see how everything changes. And no grown up will ever understand that it is so important!

Note: We get so busy with the stuff of our life we forget to be distracted and discover the joys that surround us. The little Prince it’s always nearby, however, when we are too busy with all of our stuff we can’t see the little Prince and enjoy our conversations with him. Here’s hoping you find time in your life each day to be distracted and to discover the little Prince in your life.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Discover the Gifts

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Saint-Exupéry writes that the Little Prince is telling the author he is leaving and will return to his planet. The Little Prince tries to console the author.

“At night, you will look at the stars. . . . My star will be one of the stars for you so, you will love to look at all stars. They will all be your friends. And then I will make you a gift . . . You will have stars like no one else has.”

“What do you mean?”

“At night when you look at the sky, as I will live in one of them, then it will be for you as if all stars were laughing. You will have stars that know how to laugh. . . . And when you will be consoled you’ll be glad to have known me. You’ll be my friend forever. You will want to laugh with me. And, sometimes, you will open your window to have fun and your friends will be amazed to see you laughing at the sky.”

Note: We feel a deep sadness when someone we love is about to leave us ,whether it’s moving a long distance away or they are nearing death. The author felt this sadness when the Little Prince was about to leave him. The author knew he had been tamed making the Little Prince’s leaving more difficult. When someone we love leaves us they leave us a gift just as the Little Prince left the gift of laughing to the author. It took me a while to discover the gifts my wife left me when she died, but I discovered them and they were given to me in abundance.

Thinking Out Loud ~ The Little Prince: The Fox’s Secret About Love

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Saint-Exupéry writes in The Little Prince of the Little Prince and the fox parting. The fox tells the Little Prince a secret about love as they are parting.

“Goodbye,” said the little prince.

“Goodbye,” said the fox. “Here is my secret. It is very simple: we see well only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes.”

“The essential is invisible to the eyes,” the little prince repeated in order to remember it.

“It is the time you have spent for your rose that makes your rose so important.”

“It is the time I have spent for my rose,” the little prince said in order to remember.

“Men have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible forever for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose.”

“I am responsible for my rose, the little prince repeated in order to remember.

Note: Two people, who are deeply in love, sitting together can look at each other and know that each is loved; they read each other ‘s thoughts; they know when each other is troubled; they know when each other is happy; they know when they are in each other ‘s company that there is no place else in the world that they would like to be. Their hearts are communicating and beating as one. I hope you have this kind of love in your life.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Falling in Love

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Saint-Exupéry writes in The Little Prince of the Little Prince meeting a fox. The fox asks the Little Prince for a favor that will change both their lives.

The fox was silent and looked a long time at the little Prince: “Please tame me!” It said’

“I want to,” replied the little Prince, “but I don’t have a lot of time. I have friends to find and lots of things to know.”

“We know only the things we tame,” said the fox. “Men do not have more time to know anything. They buy things all made at merchants. But as there is no point of merchants of friends, men do not have friends anymore. If you want a friend, tame me.”

“What should be done?” said the little Prince.

“We need to be very patient,” answered the fox.

Note: We may fall in love at first sight, but we haven’t fallen in love with the person we first saw. We fell in love with an image. Falling in love is a process much like the peeling of layers of an onion. There’s always another layer. With each layer we learn something new about the person with whom we are falling in love. Each day is a new falling in love adventure. There is no steady state. We are either falling in love or falling out of love. Falling in love takes patience and hard work and it is worth the time and the effort.

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