A few years back, my bff, rp, sent me a poem. It made such an impact on me that I printed it out and it hangs above my computer where I can see it every day as I work.
It's kind of funny, though. As with many things we see each and every day, I think I became a bit desensitized to the message. So accustomed to seeing the words, to seeing them hanging above my desk, that I really didn't see them, you know what I mean?
As I sat down this morning, I glanced at the words and the magnitude of their simple truth hit me.
Two Wolves
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between the two 'wolves' inside us all.
One wolf is evil. It is anger, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other wolf is good. It is joy, peace, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."
The grandson thought about this for awhile and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
With everything going on in my life right now, I probably could have chosen to forgo the gratitude project this year. I have an fairly good excuse - I'm getting divorced, I'm losing my job, I need to find some place to live. I imagine no one would have even thought twice, in fact it would have been totally acceptable, totally expected.
But then, wouldn't that be, according to the old Cherokee, feeding the evil wolf? Self-pity? Sorrow? Anger? Yes, it would have been acceptable, but would it have been right?
I am learning that happiness is not something that simply happens to us. It is not something that we just have, or are, or find. If it were, it would only be fleeting because as we all know - along with happiness, there is also much sadness in this world. And oftentimes, unfortunately, that sadness is more in abundance than we would like. Than sometimes we think we can even handle.
No, I am finding that each and every day, happiness is a conscious decision I must make before my feet even hit the floor in the morning. My eyes open, my heart begins to speak...
Today, I choose happy. Today, I choose kindness. Today, I choose joy. Today, I choose hope and faith and serenity.
Today, I choose... grateful.
Which wolf are you feeding?
xoxo,
momo
2 comments:
I love that Cherokee story too. Thanks for reminding me of it too. Hang in there my friend. You're doing all the right things. xoxo
I love that story - it's so true.
And I have to say, it isn't about acceptable or understandable. It's about the choice you made - to feed the good wolf; it's about who you are - you are beautiful and you will triumph with an open heart and bright, new future that you have yet to imagine.
xo
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