The Old Man

Once long ago, there lived an old man.
He had no money. He had no plan.
All that he had was a horse oh so grand
and he and his horse lived off the land.

The King offered riches for this horse oh so fine,
“I’ll give you money if you’ll make your horse mine.”
But the old man said, “My horse will not be sold,
he lives with me. He lives free and bold.”

Then one day the horse was plain gone.
“The horse had been stolen,” the townsfolk cried on.
The old man said, “Friends, don’t look so sad,
Though the horse be gone that may not be so sad.”

“You foolish old man, look what you’ve done.
You had a fine horse and now you have none.
A curse it is and a curse it will be,
you shouldn’t have let your horse wander free!”

The horse soon returned with others by its side.
There were twelve now of beauty and pride.
The townsfolk said, “Old man, you were right.
You are blessed to have horses of unearthly delight!”

“I have 12 horses, yes that is true
but that does not mean I am blessed with them too.
It is too soon to judge, who knows what will be?
Try not to make stories from the little you see.”

As it came to pass, the old man’s only son
tried riding a horse, just for fun.
Yet he broke both his legs while playing this game
and the townsfolk cried, “Oh what a shame!”

The old man said, “Friends don’t speak so soon.
You hear just one note yet you sing an entire tune.
Who’s to say what the future may hold?
My son’s legs are broken but the future lies untold.”

Soon there was war, and the young men of town
were all sent to fight and were shot down.
But the old man’s son was saved from this plight.
He had broken his legs, he was forced not to fight.

And the townfolk cried out, “Again you were right!”
But the old man replied, “Have you no sight?
Only God knows what is and will be.
To live and let live is to live and live free.”

— By Jonathan Robinson (Also posted at Spiritual Stories)

Jasons’s Reflections

The message is clear. What may appear to be bad luck is often simply not. We do not have the conscious biological workings to understand all of the implications of any single experience.

The key point is staying present by living in the now. The old man showed us how by living in the “now”, we can truly be free from all that we don’t understand.

Rather than choosing to blame others, by accepting events as being bad based on what may turn out to be very limited reasoning. You can choose to be happier and healthier, by adopting the attitude of the old man.

Today is your chance to learn from the old man. Take what you have learnt from this poem and sincerly apply it to your daily life. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised…

To live and let live is to live and live free.

If you enjoyed Jason’s insights, please feel free to leave a comment below and also visit his website at:
WhatIsMetaphysics.com Also be sure to join Jason’s Metaphysical Mind Newsletter.

The Swing Set Fable – A Spiritual Story

Mr. Jones wanted to build his son a swing set. He slaved away each evening and grew tired and irritable causing concern for his wife.

“You’re working so hard,” she said. “Wasn’t our neighbor, Mr. Williams, a carpenter when he was young? Couldn’t you ask him for help?”

“But Mr. Williams has done enough work in his life. I wouldn’t want to bother him.”

So Mr. Jones kept working, until finally the swing set was finished, and he set it up in the backyard. A few days later, Mr. Jones went outside and found Mr. Williams gazing at the swing set.

“Hi, Mr. Williams. How do you like the new swing set?”

“Oh, it’s wonderful. I built something like that for my son many years ago.” His eyes looked sad, and Mr. Jones remembered that Mr. Williams’ son had moved far away for a job.

“I wish you had told me you were building it,” Mr. Williams said. “Your son is a good boy. I would have loved to help you do something nice for him.”

They chatted for another minute, and Mr. Jones went inside, realizing for the first time that Mr. Williams was lonely.

— Author Unknown (Originally posted at Spiritual Short Stories)

Sharon’s Reflections

This story tells us we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help. Many would appreciate the opportunity to help if only they were given that option. An act of kindness is a joy to both the giver and the receiver.

So why is it so difficult to ask for help?

Probably we don’t want to be seen as a burden, out of control or incompetent.

Asking for help also makes us vulnerable to criticism and unwelcome advice. What if Mr Jones hadn’t asked for help because he thought that Mr Williams would criticize his swing set design and try to change it because of his knowledge of carpentry?

On the other hand it can be just as difficult to offer help for much the same reasons.

We don’t want anyone to feel that they are a burden, out of control or incompetent. Assuming Mr Williams knew Mr Jones was having trouble building the swing set he may have been hesitant to offer help because he didn’t want to seem interfering.

What a dilemma!

When someone asks for help only give it if you truly can. Recognize the courage it took them to ask. Never agree to do something that will cause you to feel resentful and put upon. Help them find alternatives instead. Saying “no” will also encourage them to ask again if they need help with something else. They know you will say no if you can’t and if you do say yes, they won’t feel they’re a burden.

On the other hand, never be afraid to ask for help when you need it. You never know how reaching out will affect the other person unless you reach out. If they can truly help your burdens will be relieved. If you feel more burdened and resentful it could be they are not helping at all, but trying to manipulate and control you.

Being able to give and receive help is a gift to the giver and the receiver. I think The Swing Set story tells us that asking for help or offering someone help is definitely worth the risk because of the potential rewards giving and receiving help is capable of giving.

If you enjoyed Sharon’s insights, please feel free to leave a comment below and also visit her website at:
Personal-Tools-For-Abundance.com