Today’s story is about engaging creativity to meet the needs of many. Oh, and sharing.
Audio Recording
For Your Contemplation
Let’s pretend you are the stone. What do you think the stone thought about? The stone was put into a pot and then with the addition of many ingredients, over time, became a really delicious soup. Could you pretend you’re the stone and put yourself in that situation? Maybe see it as a metaphor. Has there been a time in your life when you’ve been placed in a situation that seemed rather sparse, perhaps a little dire, and then gifts and nourishment came into your life and you flourished and you became something unexpected and quite delicious?
Now pretend you are that young man. A hungry young man who’s walking for a long time. It seems to me he’s either a wanderer or in my imagination he was always a bit of a pilgrim. Just travelling the countryside a bit like the forest monks in the Buddhist tradition, who would travel and walk miles every day with their bowls. And people will put food in their bowls. Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to ask for either literal food or metaphorical nourishment? Did you want to explore that a little bit? Explore the feelings and sensations that can arise there. I reckon it’s a very vulnerable place to be.
A third inquiry could be from the perspective of the little old lady living alone in her home and she seems quite spry with her abundant garden. She tends to and cares for her garden and she has a well-stocked pantry. She has salt and pepper. She has dried lentils. And here she is answering her door to a stranger. And her first response was “No. I have nothing to share.” And then through the unfolding of the story, we discover she actually had quite a bounty to share and ended up quite enjoying sharing. Has there been a time in your life when you’ve been surprised by the bounty in your life? Or there are some things that perhaps you take for granted? Is there some abundance in your life that you take for granted? Or perhaps you maybe don’t think is valuable? And when you’re asked for help when someone asks you for help, particularly a stranger, what is your first response? And please, no judgment. I mean, this is just information you’re gathering, just contemplating. When in that situation and somebody reaches out for help and shows their vulnerability, what is your first response? Could you touch that gently and softly, and again without judgment?