Influence

It's rare when a book or a web site inspires me to make lasting, significant changes in my life. In fact, I can't think of any examples. Oh sure, I have my favorite authors, musicians and sites. But to think of a significant course change. I can't. IDEAS. I can get ideas from these places, but to put them into practice, it takes more.

Popular media? Not at all. I ditched the TV, I don't read magazines. Even reading on line, I think we all tend to find those sites that merely reflect our already made up minds.

Community, people, teachers, mentors, training, practice. These things influence me, every day. Set a direction, offer advice. Change my course.

I am a reader, but even more so, I am a doer. Everyone learns differently, but I think I learn best by listening, and watching, then doing, and reflecting, or paraphrasing. But I need someone to show me, teach me, talk to me, advise me (Instruction manuals usually consulted only after failure).

Teacher: show me how to pick up my sword, get behind my plow, work my shovel. I think better when I am moving. Wax on, Wax off (Except math. Can't do math in my head while I am running. I've tried.).

So Question of the day: Who or what influences you?

A Fairy Tale

RE-POST. From June 10, 2011.


We all start out as warriors. A child is the truest example of a warrior in fact. Simple, true to herself, she knows her strengths, gifts, and is happy with them. She plays with them, she polishes them, she embraces them. She cannot imagine life in any other way. But the warrior child at some point is blinded by dragon scales, and can no longer see what is hers. She is restless, becoming an adult. She hears the voices telling her she is not good enough. That she is missing something. she She will start a journey to seek other riches. She seeks. And seeks.

Then, along the journey, she packs up and start carrying her gifts in a sack slung over a shoulder. It's a burden, she says. It's heavy. Most of the time, she never even stops to look at the treasures in the bag and how they can help the journey. She curses them.

She is now the fool.We all become the fool at some point, on a journey to trying to be a warrior again. Trying to return to that happy, simple place where life seemed like an adventure, and everything looked fresh and alive.

Along the way, she will meet other fools, teachers, warriors, tempters, and dragons. The other fools aren't interested in what's in her bag, they are too busy complaining about the burdens in their own. Teacher will try and show her that whats carried with you is valuable, and that it should be held in high regard. But the fool doesn't listen. Warrior will show her that he can use the contents of his bag very well. Then fool is just envious, still cursing her own bag and covetous of the warrior's gift's. Tempter will try and sell her some bauble to add to the already full bag, claiming she will be happy when you've added such and so. But it's fools gold, for she can add nothing to the bag she has without making it even more burdensome

The fool will also meet the dragon. Now the dragon is very dangerous, for he will want what is in her bag, by telling her that it's only a burden, worthless. He covets it; He understands the value of it. But if she let's him relieve the burden he will sit on it. The dragon knows the value of what he sits on, down to the last coin. The dragon speaks in riddles. Sometimes the truth, sometimes a lie, sometimes half of each. He will tell stories, spinning, spinning always spinning a web of words to cloud from her what is so valuable in her bag, whats is precious. But the dragon can never really take it, only hide it.

The dragon has the most to teach her, and yet she has the most to lose by talking to him, facing him. But only by facing him can she ever hope to come full circle, and realize her gifts and what she is.

Somewhere, sometime, some fools have the dragon scales fall from their eyes. The fool realizes that she is the warrior, the teacher, the tempter, the dragon, and yes, she is still and always will be a fool. She has come full circle not to once again be the simple warrior, but all of the above.

In addition to her wonderful bag of gifts, she has gained wisdom.

Question: Whats in your bag?