Try Again

 I was talking to a friend the other day that was despairing of never managing to do all that he wanted. He forgets that he is not the same age as he was last year or the year before. For that matter none of us are as young as yesterday. His complaining made me do two things. 

The first, was for me to remind him of the story of King Robert The Bruce. He was a very famous person in Scottish history. When I was a boy I was told a story of him in a cave with a spider. I apologise if you have heard it before, but it did make an impression on me and stuck with me.

He had just suffered a defeat at the hands of the English and was hiding in this cave. He was thinking it was all over and that he should just retreat and go home. While he sat there he saw this spider trying to make a web. It tried and it tried until eventually it managed to begin, from then on it got easier. Robert thought, if this spider can do it so  will I do what needs to be done.

I was surprised that my friend had never heard this story , and I am not sure it had the impact it did on me but he did leave with a smile.

The second thing it reminded me of was this tree I saw while away in the mountains. I know some of my fellow bloggers have a real love of trees, as have I. I could not resist this picture or two.

I remember a tree that grew in the churchyard of my last church. I took the children out of the service one Sunday morning to show them this tree, a tree they had passed many, many times and hardly noticed.  

At some  distant time a bird had dropped a seed and it had lodged in the crack in a stone. As the years had passed the tree had grown and grown until it had split the rock in two. The moral of that story was simple. Some things in life are not easy, but they are not impossible.

I used to say to my own children, “All things are possible, but miracles take a little longer than most.”

I have added another picture of this marvellous tree on my other blog.   Enfolding Love

Chasing One Thing After Another.

It seems ages since I had time to sit down and just share my thoughts. More importantly to take time to look at the blogs of my friends. There really is no excuse, saying I was away on holiday  or working in my plot preparing for planting, the bottom line is we can always find time for the things we consider important. So here I am today. Having chased my tail for more than a week.

Speaking of tails, let me tell you about yesterday. I planted some new flowers in my back garden. No sooner were they in when I looked out and saw a cat lying sunning itself on top of them. I went out and chased it only to see it back in place ten minutes later. This went on for a go hour and more until at last it got the message that it was not welcome in the garden if it was insisting on  that particular spot.

This reminds me of the tale of the two cats. There were two cats a very young one and a very old one. One day the old cat watched as the young one chased its tail round and round in circles. Eventually the old cat purred the question. “Why are you chasing your tail all day?” The young cat responded, “Because it helps me to find happiness.” The old cat mused for a while and said, “ I used to think that also until I learned that no matter where I went my tail followed on anyway.”

The young cat continued to chase his tail. The old cat looked and purred and went off on his way. Sure enough as he left his tail followed him swishing away behind him. He looked very happy.

Happiness is not found in chasing after it. If we get our lives in order happiness follows us.

Have a great day.

This blog is linked to my other.  Cat on the Prowl

What Are You Waiting For?

I have had over a week in the mountains, enjoying walking and running. There is something exciting about running over rocky surfaces and hilly paths. It is a bit like playing chess; you have to always be one or two steps ahead of yourself. Watching ahead, and preparing for where you are next going to plant your foot. By comparison running on the road is just a case of making sure you do not bump into another person or get chased by a dog.

How wise it is to be prepared and ready. My son joined me for my last day, and we ran together.  As we ran I became aware of my age. I was running with somebody almost half my age. I said to him that I was aware that age was making me a bit slower. He laughed, and commented, “I have two things to say. One you will notice you are in front of me, and two, we have not passed anybody else your age out doing this.’ Point made and point taken.

Then I saw that my years had not been totally wasted. We came to a small river. I had ran this path so often before, I knew where I could, without losing stride, step over two large boulders to the other side. At this point my son said, “Come on dad just go for it.” He proceeded to make the jump , only to land flat on his face his shoes full of water. It is all about the right things at the right time.

There is a tale of another old man and his wife. They were a lovely old couple in there 80s. They had been married for 60 years and were still looking fit and well. In spite of their health they met an untimely end one day in a traffic accident.

They found themselves at the pearly gates. The angel showed them round. They were shown where they would live it was beautiful. The husband asked what the rent would be? They were told it was free. He then noticed just behind his house a beautiful golf course. He enquired what the green fees were and the membership rates. Again he was told it was all free. In the clubhouse he saw all the wonderful food. He asked where all the healthy fat free food was. He was told there was no such thing. He could not get ill so he could enjoy whatever he wanted.

He looked at all this and considered it. He turned to his loving wife and asked her, “What was all that about those awful bran flakes, we could have been here ten years ago.”

The road is in fact just what we make it. Rough or smooth hard or easy. The better road is always the one that leads to a feeling of achievement and wellbeing.

It is good to be back have a good day.

This blog is linked to my other.  A Good Feeling.