The year started off well. I had it under control. I was writing, walking, doing my gratitude journal, reading non-fiction……I was supposed to do a follow up post on Bullet Journaling on Saturday to tell you all about it. And I woke up on Saturday with the ‘flu. I felt disappointed with myself and with my body. I felt I had let myself down, and let you, my readers, down. But then I read a parable, and realized what I needed to be letting my arms down!
Letting My Arms Down
The Parable
There was a farmer who had a lot of fields, and he kept all the birds and creatures away from his crops with traps and fences. He was very successful.
But he was also very lonely.
So, one day, he stood in the middle of his fields to welcome the animals. He stayed there from dawn until dusk, with his arms outstretched, calling to them. But, not a single animal came.
Not a single creature appeared.
They were terrified, you see, of the farmer’s new Scarecrow.
– From Hope’s Daughters by R Wayne Willis
Who doesn’t like to be in control of life? Who doesn’t want her life to be orderly, and tidy and predictable? I know I want to be more disciplined and work in a more organized manner.
Life!
But just when I started cruising along nicely, comes the ‘flu. I can rant and rave and try to keep controlling things. But no, that’s not how life works. While trying to being orderly, I must leave space for the unexpected, even if it’s not always pleasant.
I must learn to start letting my arms go and use them instead to embrace life with all it’s up and downs. That’s what makes it interesting, isn’t it?
So I’ve been resting and reading and watching back to back episodes of
Grey’s Anatomy!
As for that post, I’ll have it up as soon as I can, I promise! ♥
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I hope you feel better soon.
Sometimes letting our arms down is all we can do, and, therefore, it is the wisest thing we can do. Fighting it just makes us miss the embedded lesson. I hope you are feeling well soon.
At times it is indeed important to rest and enjoy the way things are. Hope you recover fast from the flu.
The joys of Winter – I can imagine how exhausted you must be after the ‘flu. Perhaps it is God’s way of telling you to keep your arms down….. hope you get well soon.
Get well Soon!
Maybe, you were ignoring the calls while your body wanted to rest, so here it took charge of the situations and here you are doing a wise thing not fighting against the unexpected encounter. Wishing you a speedy recovery from the dreaded flu.
I like the idea of letting our arms down. My year started in much the same way as yours. Full of plans and for once I even scheduled things and was feeling in control… till that illness crept in like a serpent and my year stumbled. I had no choice but to give up. For the time being . But then I realised, that where I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept through the night, I now found myself waking at noon, having slept undisturbed for more than 14 to 16 hours sometimes. I think my body just needed this break and rest to gear up better for the year. I am sure you will have a great year too!
It is the body’s way of telling you that it needs rest. So good in a way, you will get some much needed rest. Hope you recover well and soon! Liked the parable, Corinne. Learnt a new thing!
As much as we plan, life sometimes shows it has the upper hand. Instead of raving and ranting, it’s better to give up, let it take its course and just enjoy those moments. Grey Anatomy – perfect too! McDreamy and McSteamy!! Enjoy!!
ohhh! Get well soon Corinne.
I loved the story here – what a lesson in it! Use the arms to embrace rather than to keep away people.
I am looking forward to the bullet journaling post!! Take care
I may be the only one here, I think, who did not understand the story.
Get well soon, Corinne. Sometimes illnesses inflict us to slow us down or else we would keep running and fast. Lying in bed also has its own charm but only after the high fever has subsided down. I hope you are liking Grey’s Anatomy.
I hope you feel better soon, Corinne! It’s almost natural for us to plan things as though we are in complete control of our lives. But life has a way of throwing us curveballs, and it’s inportant to remember to flow with them.
What a lovely lesson in a small story! Yes, we must take the unexpected in our stride too. I beat myself when things dont go as per the plans but letting go, rather ‘letting the arms go’ as you mentioned is the key. Thanks for thought provoking post, Corinne. Hope you are better now.