Words of Widsom Wednesday

It Made a Difference for That One

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said,  "It made a difference for that one.” 

--Loren Eiseley 


Don't ever think that what you do doesn't make a difference; small things can add up to big changes. We can look at the world and all the suffering, sadness and unrest and become so overwhelmed that we can't possibly fix everything, we do nothing at all. Or we could look around us and think, what can I do today that might make a difference to someone or something? You never know what big impact a small act can make. Be on the lookout for where you may be needed-- a kind word, a donation, a lending hand. It will make a difference, and probably in ways you may never even know.

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."   --Mother Teresa 

photo: Elena Morelli

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

A-MEN.

Image via Freelance Wisdom

The Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years, this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you”.  The bearer asked, “Why? What are you ashamed of?”  The Pot replied, “For these past two years I am able to deliver only half of my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you don’t get full value for your efforts”.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

Hard and Holy Things

          I am not the first, nor last person, that will admit to comparing myself to others online. Scrolling through perfectly curated Instagram feeds, it's hard not to think that I am the only one without their s-h together. I do not have a perfectly smooth and toned backside, no matter how many squat challenges I do. The only time I can get my hair to do that effortlessly undone top knot is right before getting into the shower. And even after decades on this earth (and 1600 hours spent in cosmetology school) I still cannot do wing-tipped eyeliner or a decent french braid to save my life. And when the realization of this starts to affect me too much, I go back to this quote. There are enough women out there who know how to be (or at least look) perfect at everything. The amount of seemingly-flawless people on Instagram are a dime a dozen, and there are about a million YouTube tutorials showing you just how to achieve it. 

        Don't misunderstand me-- I would still love to be put-together with flawless makeup and six-pack abs, but is that what really matters? Other than being a beautiful thing to look at, does it really serve anyone else? There's another quote that comes to mind that goes something along the lines of "Mother Teresa didn't worry about her thighs, she had shit to do." It's hard to put yourself down when you stop thinking about yourself so much. 

        So what exactly are these hard and holy things? Is it joining the Peace Corps.? Is it going to impoverished countries to meet needs of the underprivileged? Sure. Yes, of course. But could it also be having patience during a frustrating situation? Is it showing kindness and compassion to that customer who is always rude to you at work? Putting down your phone for 5 minutes to actively listen to someone and make them feel heard? Because Lord knows those are not easy things to do. But they are the things that mean the most.  I would rather be known for bringing joy, for being understanding, for showing love than for being able to blend my eye shadow (but if I can do them all simultaneously then it's just icing on the cake.) 

        I came to the conclusion recently that we (and by we I mean me) spend a lot of time stressing about not being where we think we should be in life, not having things we think we should have or not being as successful as we think we should be. But if we really strip it all away, in the grand scheme of things, what is it that really matters? What are the things that really should have priority? In Matthew 22:36 Jesus says that the two greatest commandments are "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" That's it. Not "make six figures". Not "be a size 2". Not "take vacations so you can document them and make your life look perfect to strangers." Just simply serve God, and serve each other. Of course God will ask us to do other things throughout our lives, but all He really wants is for us to love Him and love those around us. Those are the hard and holy things. And do not think it is lost on me that all this is being said while being sandwiched between outfit posts 😁

       Jesus makes it very clear that we don't need to worry about how we look, things we aren't good at, or that we aren't wearing the right clothes. "If God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'what shall we eat?' or 'what shall we drink' or 'what shall we wear?'...your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:30-32)

      Don't worry that you can't get perfect beach waves, that you can't figure out how to contour, or even that you don't have your dream career. Do the hard and holy things. That is really what the world needs. And if all those things are added unto us as well, then great. But maybe by the time we get them, we'll realize we never really needed them anyway. 

Image from The Free Woman

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

 Have you ever been somewhere or with someone and you suddenly feel like, what am I doing here? You feel strange and out of place, like you're forcing yourself to fit into something you don't belong. It's a tell-tale sign that it's probably time to leave. Sometimes it takes us awhile to realize this feeling because we're trying so hard to make it our story. It's something or someone we've wanted for so long, dreamed about, have strove towards. We can't accept the reality that it wasn't meant for us. But we cannot stay there. We must leave behind anything that no longer serves us, ceases to give us joy, or makes us feel less-than. Turn the page, start a new chapter... heck, open a new book. But do not let your eyes keep skimming the same paragraph over and over, not being able to retain anything you've read because it doesn't stir up passion or hold your interest. Go find something that is hard to put down. That is the story you belong in.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Image via Eva Black Design  (it's also downloadable as an iphone wallpaper)

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

This has always been one of my favorite quotes. It reminds, or even reassures us, that no matter how much we plan out our lives, it rarely ever goes how we think it will. But perhaps that's a blessing. Maybe fate knew where we needed to be even if we didn't. Haven't we all had those moments where we stop and evaluate everything that's happened to us and suddenly realize, if one particular event didn't happen then something else would have never of happened and that perhaps there was a reason for it happening the way it did even if it didn't make sense at the time? Those are the best moments, right? When in the midst of life feeling like a huge, confusing puzzle, we can find the way some of the pieces fit together and for a second life actually makes sense. 

Image by Typewritten Word

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Image via Den10Studio

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Words of Wisdom Wednesday