An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.
His house was filthy, and a stench came out of the house, and it smelled horribly. The neighbors could not stand the smell anymore, so they summoned the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.
The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.
He said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning, he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg.
Seemingly, this old man had no great plans, dreams, nor any purposeful path guiding his life. On the surface we could easily surmise that there is nothing positive we can take away from his story. But if our examination goes deeper than merely cursory, we may discover that this old man’s story speaks to us about staying focused on and committed to the things we enjoy doing that fulfill our lives regardless of how strange our path may seem to others. It reminds us that once we find that path, we endeavor to remain true to its course; which may mean committing ourselves to things that people around us disapprove.
What leads us to true happiness is what matters in the end, not what we acquire. Let nothing distract us from being happy; let nothing determine our fate… but ourselves.
The enemy I had; I didn’t even know.
He followed me unseen, wherever I would go.
He blocked my plans, he blocked my way,
He countered me, even before I could say.
Each time I would make an effort to try,
He made me afraid, so I’d let things pass by.
One night I caught him and grabbed for his mask;
I wanted to see, I wanted to ask.
But to my amazement as I looked at his face,
It was me that I saw, and I prayed for God’s grace.
The enemy who was hiding inside,
I finally let go of, and the enemy died.
My new friend inside shares an exciting new way:
He says “YES WE CAN” as we start out each day.
Our SPIRIT in life is the KEY TO IT ALL.
Our BELIEF deep inside picks us up when we fall.
I can run LIFE’S RACE with a CALM INNER PEACE.
I go for it now with TOTAL RELEASE.
– Author unknown
In order to ‘hold fast’ to something, one must allow oneself to be held to something. That commitment may be one of the hardest things to practice in a world of so much choice. – Sheena Iyengar
Have an AWE-full Weekend!
William “Bill” Bacque