What Can Taking A Crap Teach Us About Life?
Copyright 2005 Rasheed Ali
This story was told to me as a joke but, the power of its
meaning is something many of us have taken for granted as we go
through life from one problem to another and never being
satisfied.
Many years ago a young man who had moved to the Big City to
pursue his goals of becoming wealthy, decided that it was time
to visit his aging father in his home town. It had been five
years since he last saw him, so this was a very important trip.
Not only that but he was on the verge of something Great and he
wanted to tell his father in person.
Luckily a friend was passing through his home town and he sent
the message of his trip to his father. You see, his father was
too poor for a phone and couldn't read. So, it was very
difficult for him to contact his father. The young man was just
getting started so purchasing a train ticket was a HUGE deal,
financially for him at this time. He did purchase the ticket
however and headed on the long voyage home.
As he sat in his cabin on the train, he became pretty friendly
with the other people he was sharing the space with on the trip.
He told them of his voyage to see his father and how he hadn't
seen him in five years since he left for the city.
They were expressing their joy and best wishes for his trip,
when all of a sudden the conductor announced that they would
only pause for a few seconds at the young man's stop, not
letting anyone off and proceed on to the next stop since the
train was behind schedule and some very important people had to
get off there.
The young man's heart sank into his stomach because he realized
that he could only afford to go straight back to the city and he
wouldn't get to stay with his father. He sat and thought very
carefully, with the focus of a surgeon about what to do.
Suddenly he sat up with a glowing smile on his face as though
the world had been lifted from his shoulders.
When the train arrived at the station, the young man stuck his
head out of the window and screamed to his father to come closer.
He then said to his father, "Father the train is not going to
stop, but I need to know; Have you been taking a crap?"
His father looked up at him with a smile of content and said,
"Yes son, yes I have."
The train then took off and he sat down with a look of relief
and feeling pretty good about the situation. The people on the
train were sitting, still shocked by his question. They asked,
"Why, why would you ask such a question after you haven't seen
your father in FIVE years?
The young man smiled and said, "Well, if he's been taking a crap
then he's had food and if, he's had food, he has money to buy
that food, then everything is okay for now. Maybe not perfect,
but okay for now!"
They smiled and nodded, since they finally understood.
Although money for food is something most of us take for
granted, remember it and appreciate it for what it is.
Too often we are distracted by the things that make us unhappy
and problems or obstacles we have, that we never celebrate the
small things in life. Cumulatively such small treasures, gives
us immense power and success if only we recognize them for what
they are.
Think about the things that you haven't celebrated and what they
mean to you. Write them down in a journal. It doesn't matter
what it is. Whether you saved $1 more, gave $1 more or learned
something new.
How do those things make you feel?
Remember that feeling every time things get rough. There's power
in it!