I just came back from a whirlwind visit to the East Coast that involved four different flights in less than 72 hours and a bed which, no matter how comfortable, wasn't mine. The flights there were rough and I am still recovering now, although I'm pretty close to normal. And that's what got me to thinking about how little I appreciate the wellness of everyday.
There is an old joke that I heard as a child but didn't fully understand until I became an adult. And in truth, I don't find it funny now, if anything, I find it poignant. It goes something like this...
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A poor peasant in a village comes to his priest for advice.
He says, "Father, I know life is hard for everyone now what with the harvest being so poor, but truly my life is so hard, I really need some help. I have a tiny hovel for my wife and all our six kids, there is no space for anything. The kids are constantly fighting, the house is too hot and my wife is grizzling non-stop about how much work there is taking care of all of us. Isn't there anything you can do to help?"
The priest listens to him, thinks for a while and says, "Son, you have some farm animals that you tend to, don't you?"
The peasant replies, "Yes, a cow, a goat, a couple of sheep, and some chickens."
The priest then says, "Well, I have a solution for you, but you must follow it exactly as I tell you, otherwise it will not work."
The peasant is overjoyed and agrees to follow the solution exactly.
The priest then says, "Today is Sunday, tonight before sundown, I want you to bring the cow inside the house with you. Then tomorrow, I want you to bring in the goat. On Tuesday, I want you to bring in the two sheep and then on Wednesday, bring in all the chickens. You must have all of them in the house with you and then two weeks from Sunday, come and tell me how things are going."
The peasant thanks the priest and goes off to do as he was told. Two weeks pass and Sunday comes and the peasant again comes to the priest. Before the priest can even ask him how things are going, the peasant launches into a litany of complaints, "Oh, Father! I followed your advice, but if you will forgive me, it was the worst thing I could have done! The cow is mooing non-stop and stopped giving milk, the goat is trying to gore the kids who are fighting worse than ever, the chickens crap all over the floor and my wife is worn to the bone cleaning up after them. The sheep haven't been shorn yet and all these animals are generating so much heat, the house is impossible to live in. Why did you tell me to do this??"
The priest listens to the peasant and then says, "Son, I haven't said that this is the end of the solution. Tonight, when you go home, take the cow back to the pasture, bring the goat and the sheep back to their pen, take the chickens back to their coop, open all the windows and go to bed. Then come back tomorrow and tell me how things are."
The peasant shakes his head, but goes off to do as the priest said.
The next day, when the priest comes in the morning to open the church doors, the peasant is already waiting for him and he has a great big smile on his face. The priest doesn't even ask him how things are before the peasant rushes up to him and says, "Oh, Father! Thank you! You've worked a miracle! I never realized that my house is so spacious and light and airy! My children aren't fighting and my wife is so happy, she is singing and baking. I can never thank you enough!"
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And the morale of the story is much like with me and headaches... Finding ways to appreciate what you have may not be at the forefront of your mind while things are going well, but if you don't, then when life throws in its usual wrenches, you'll appreciate what you no longer have whether you want to or not.
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