We don’t approach a skunk with anger. We don’t ask a skunk to change. We don’t become angry with a skunk for being a skunk. And we don’t ask him why he is a skunk. And yet, in our daily lives, these are the attitudes we so often use.
I once came upon a skunk under my apple tree as I walked. He was feeding on the apples that had fallen to the ground. By the time I noticed, I was very near him. He neither raised his head nor stopped his busy activity to pay me any mind. I smiled because I found him curious and I continued on my way, content to have him there.
There are as many stories as there are people. As many reactions to a situation as there are minutes in our lives. We have within us the ability to make choices, to respond to a situation in a way that brings us peace and nourishes our inner world. This also nourishes the world around us.
If you began your story with-- “I came upon a skunk under my apple tree…”-- how would your story go?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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For the Love of It...
...the sage sees heaven reflected in Nature as in a mirror, and he pursues this Art, not for the sake of gold or silver, but for the love of the knowledge which it reveals.
Sendivogius (1750)
Sendivogius (1750)
I may not have realized what it was and mistaken him for a cat =) He sure looks cute.
ReplyDeleteAt one time I had three Australian shepherds who loved cats. One of them ran up to a skunk in our barn with that same eagerness that he greeted our cat. What a surprise. He tried to bury his nose in the saw dust.
ReplyDelete