FREE to be Me ...

Well... my post today is about something I learned from an old cartoon - and I mean a really old cartoon. As strange as it sounds, there was a lesson it wanted to teach me. Let me tell you about it and see if you can relate:

This morning, as the busy hours were about to begin, a familiar scene played through my mind. It was animated like a video reel, but looked like a rough black and white pencil sketch (some silly faint whistling music in the background.) There was a stick figure horse walking along with a broken tree branch attached to his saddle. The branch was draped up over his head and pointed forward just past his nose. A string was tied to it, and from the end was a squiggly- looking, barely recognizable carrot. (...Where did this clip of memory even come from?... ) The horses feet quickened as he tried to bite at the carrot. Faster and Faster his clumsy legs trotted along. Every now and then he would trip or stumble because he never looked away from that carrot. Soon his gallop became full out run and the string was bouncing and swinging. I just smiled as I watched this odd little moving picture - it really made me feel like I was 5 years old on a Saturday morning. Anyway, in his comical commotion I saw him run right past a barrel of apples --- That is when it started to mean something to me.

Earlier in the day I had been revising my "To Do List" - Frantically trying to fit everything on it. Each thing seemed to be top priorty! I was trying to figure out which were NEEDS and which were WANTS, but they get kind of mixed together sometimes and even making the list can become time consuming. And so I thought to myself: "Maybe that list is my carrot." It is definitely where my focus lies on a regular basis. I constantly follow it's tasks and times, and rarely deviate from it's plan. I run faster and faster trying to check off each item, but seem to be getting nowhere :)

As I sat down to write this funny anecdote I was also wondering about the "barrel of apples" in the story. What do they compare to? What are the things that I "ran right past" during the day? There are those spontaneous rare occurrences that we don't plan for, but we really should take part in. Or another person on the path that I could have helped to reach their "carrot" had I not been so self-involved with my own "carrot." While accomplishing all the scheduled tasks, we must also watch for unpredictable (beneficial) opportunities.

And in the end of the cartoon, what usually happens to this horse? As I recall, the dangling carrot was put there by someone else and usually serves a higher purpose. (Such as getting the horse from point A to point B. Or getting the horse to pull something... etc.) Once that goal is attained, that someone comes along, unties the carrot, and feeds it to the horse. You might call it a reward - Payment - Fruits of labor. The smell might drive him crazy for a long while, but that's what will make him appreciate it even more when he finally bets a bite!

In conclusion: Although I feel like a frustrated and clumsy horse, who is giving it all I have, and seem to be gaining nothing --- there is purpose in striving for the carrot. The striving is what I am supposed to be doing right now even if I am not quite sure why at times. The path it puts me on is full of great stuff - like apples! I will eventually achieve the big goal, and get the carrot too if I am trying. :)

Okay, Okay, just like the picture... my explanation is a bit "sketchy" -- hahaha. I doubt any of this will make sense to me tomorrow.