Well, not exactly. From my teenage son Ben. My immediate family is going through a very difficult time at the moment. And my 18-year old son came up with this little gem recently, seemingly out of nowhere. I often marvel at the clarity and maturity of his thinking.
“When you live in a world of pre-set expectations and ideas, you deny yourself the opportunity to renew and re-invent yourself.”
I spent the early part of Father’s Day feeling sorry for myself. My plan for the day was a music lesson at 11 am, followed by a BBQ for my father in the afternoon and evening. My wife and son had offered to take me to breakfast. At 10 am, no one was up. Feeling like I was not a priority and neglected, I decided just to head out on my own and do my thing.
But as I left, something started to change in my little head…I began to shift my focus from “poor me” to “lucky me.” And the weight of that little ego trip immediately started to lift and I felt…relieved.
“You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.”
–Thich Nhat Hanh
I wonder how many people love this way? I know that I certainly have work to do…
![joist%20hanger%20nail[1]](https://servingothersblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/joist20hanger20nail1.gif)
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
I came upon this very old proverb recently (thanks M and D), and it reminded me how small actions can lead to big consequences. And yet it is so very hard to imagine at the front end how much can result from one seemingly small action…only in hindsight does this become more obvious. It reminds me of the importance of listening to my gut and having faith, and of the interconnectedness of all things.
Not much original thought this week I’m afraid, at least not that I am ready to blog about. But here is something I came across by Neil Donald Walsch (one of my favourites who always makes me stop and think). The last paragraph is the real kicker.
“The purpose of relationship may not be what you think.
If you are excited about forming a relationship based on
what it looks like you can get, rather than what you can give,
you have started off on the wrong foot entirely, and you
could be heading for a big disappointment.The purpose of all relationships is to create a sacred context
within which you can express the fulness of who you are.
And who you are is an experience you have before
you enter relationship, not because you did.”
servingothersblog.com 