Yesterday, D made a comment about the woodpile as we sat having morning coffee on the porch. "Look at how much it has settled since we stacked it last month. It reminds me of how people settle into certain ways as they age."
He met this man long ago when he was working for a chiropractor as a novice massage therapist. The patient had been in a nasty accident. The combined work of the chiropractor and the massage therapist had given him back 90% of his physical functioning, but the man continued to lament, "When will I get back that last 10%?" D asked his boss what could be done for this unsatisfied customer. The doc responded: "The man is almost seventy. He's had a major accident. We've worked some miracles getting him to where he is. He's never going to get back that last 10%."
So it got me to thinking about having realistic expectations. Physical flexibility is a free gift to the young, but as you age you must exercise to maintain it. Even doing your best, you will lose some of it over time. But as physical flexibility wanes, it can be replaced by growing reserves of wisdom: a flexibility of the mind and heart. I say "can be" because if you focus only on your physical self and fail to develop your mental, spiritual and emotional qualities, you will be disappointed by the results.
I do not fret over the settling of the woodpile. I expect it. I won't call my wood guy to say that as a result of the settling, I didn't get my full cord. The wood is aging as it is supposed to.
If we set our expectations and our goals to be in keeping with nature's way, we won't be disappointed. In fact, that old wood will burn with a warm radiant glow come winter.
Copyright 2007 starfishdoc
4 comments:
Beautiful. The idea of settling is something I struggle with and resist the most in my day to day life. Whether it be in my relationships, with my body, or at work. At what point does settling become unhealthy do you think? And how do know where the line is between a natural kind of settling and an unhealthy kind of settling? I am working on trying to tell the difference but it so dang hard.
Anyway, thanks for a beautiful entry.
Tana,
Your questions bring me to the realization that I've made it sound easier than it is. Watch for another post soon where I take up some of your questions and try to flesh out the answers more fully. Thanks for raising these points. See how much I need my readers?
how do you come up with these comparisons? You've got a gift for taking the simplest circumstance and turning into a thoughtful lesson one can understand and identify with...lovely...my bones will settle with grace from now on :)
Dear Kathy (aka Bones),
Comments like yours lead me to believe I'm doing what I set out to do in this blog. If I fall short, make sure you let me know. And thank you.
PS I love the chickens in the barn.
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