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Honest Abe nailed it when he said,
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses." -- Abraham Lincoln
Not only is it a great quote, it's an even better attitude on life.
Easier said than done, but most times in life the easy thing is not the right thing.
Often enough the answer is right in front of us and we don't even see it.
Still not convinced?
Let me share a gem of a story that I recently read.
This wonderful Yiddish folk tale, "It Could Always Be Worse", puts perspective on how to keep you smiling instead of frowning. Enjoy the read and I'll check back in with you in a moment...
Once upon a time in a small village a poor unfortunate man lived with his mother, his wife, and his six children in a little one-room hut.
Because they were so crowded, the man and his wife often argued. The children were noisy, and they fought. In winter, when the nights were long and the days were cold, life was especially hard. The hut was full of crying and quarreling. One day, when the poor unfortunate man couldn't stand it any more, he ran to the Rabbi for advice.
"Rabbi," he cried, "things are in a bad way with me, and getting worse. We are so poor that my mother, my wife, my six children, and I all live together in one small hut. We are too crowded, and there's so much noise. Help me, Rabbi. I'll do whatever you say."
The Rabbi thought and pulled on his beard. At last he said, "Tell me, my poor man, do you have any animals, perhaps a chicken or two?"
"Yes," said the man. "I do have a few chickens, also a rooster and a goose.
"Ah, fine," said the Rabbi. "Now go home and take the chickens, the rooster, and the goose into your hut to live with you."
"Yes indeed, Rabbi," said the man, though he was a bit surprised.
The poor unfortunate man hurried home and took the chickens, the rooster, and the goose out of the shed and into his little hut.
When a week had gone by, life in the hut was worse than before. Now with the quarreling and crying there was honking, crowing, and clucking.
There were feathers in the soup. The hut stayed just as small and the children grew bigger. When the poor unfortunate man couldn't stand it any longer, he again ran to the Rabbi for help.
"Rabbi," he cried, "see what a misfortune has befallen me. Now with the crying and quarreling, with the honking, clucking, and crowing, there are feathers in the soup. Rabbi, it couldn't be worse. Help me, please."
The Rabbi listened and thought. At last he said, "Tell me, do you happen to have a goat?"
"Oh, yes, I do have an old goat, but he's not worth much."
"Excellent," said the Rabbi. "Now go home and take the old goat into your hut to live with you."
"Ah, no! Do you really mean it, Rabbi?" cried the man.
"Come, come now, my good man, and do as I say at once," said the Rabbi.
The poor unfortunate man tramped back home with his head hanging down and took the goat into his hut.
When a week had gone by, life in the little hut was much worse. Now, with the crying, quarreling, clucking, honking, and crowing, the goat went wild, pushing and butting everyone with his horns. The hut seemed smaller, the children grew bigger.
When the poor unfortunate man couldn't stand it another minute, he again ran to the Rabbi.
"Rabbi, help me!" he screamed. "Now the goat is running wild. My life is a nightmare."
The Rabbi listened and thought. At last he said, "Tell me, my poor man. Is it possible that you have a cow? Young or old doesn't matter."
"Yes, Rabbi, it's true I have a cow," said the poor man fearfully.
"Go home then," said the Rabbi, "and take the cow into your hut."
"Oh, no, surely not, Rabbi!" cried the man. "Do it at once," said the Rabbi.
The poor unfortunate man trudged home with a heavy heart and took the cow into his hut. Is the Rabbi crazy? he thought.
When a week had gone by, life in the hut was very much worse than before. Everyone quarreled, even the chickens. The goat ran wild. The cow trampled everything. The poor man could hardly believe his misfortune.
At last, when he could stand it no longer, he ran to the Rabbi for help.
"Rabbi," he shrieked, "help me, save me, the end of the world has come! The cow is trampling everything. There is no room even to breathe. It's worse than a nightmare!"
The Rabbi listened and thought. At last he said, "Go home now, my poor unfortunate man, and let the animals out of your hut."
"I will, I will, I'll do it right away," said the man.
The poor unfortunate man hurried home and let the cow, the goat, the chickens, the goose, and the rooster out of his little hut.
That night the poor man and all his family slept peacefully. There was no crowing, no clucking, no honking. There was plenty of room to breathe.
The very next day the poor man ran back to the Rabbi.
"Rabbi," he cried, "you have made life sweet for me. With just my family in the hut, it's so quiet, so roomy, so peaceful… What a pleasure!"
Perspective can be an amazing thing.&
So much is said in so little with this folktale.&
In the blink of an eye life can throw us a curve ball that has us yearning to go back to the situation we had before ... the same one we were complaining about.
Whether it being saying "I love you" to your significant other, child, or someone you care about before you head out the door to taking a few minutes to be grateful for all the wonderful things in your life, right now, we never know what life brings one moment to the next.
I've heard all too many times from people how they regret not sharing their true feelings for someone important in their life right after this person passed away, or people miss the "good 'ol days" even though times were tough and the future was uncertain.
If the past is a canceled check and tomorrow is a promissory note, all we have is today which is a "present" in and of itself.
Something to think about.
As per usual, Honest Abe had it right when he said,
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."
I don't know about you, but I'm on the side of rejoicing because thorn bushes have roses! With My Warmest Regards,
Jeffrey E. Feldberg
Quote of the Day: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci
** P.S. &If you liked the folktake check out the book.& Between the stories and illustrations it will have you smiling.
Amazon US -
Amazon Canada -
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