What nourishes success?: A parable

Once upon a time, there was a hand.
The hand lived a busy and fulfilling life. Typing. Playing the guitar. Digging in the garden. Tweeting.

Then one day, the hand became hungry.
So, the hand went into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. The hand squeezed the apple. But, that didn’t take away its hunger. The hand opened a yogurt container and plunged in. Still hungry. Really hungry.

In the midst of it’s hunger, the hand heard a voice.
The voice said, “Feed me and you shall be fed.”

“Who’s that?” asked the hand. Looking up, the hand saw that it was the mouth talking.

The mouth smiled and said, “If you feed me, you’ll be fed.”
The hand wasn’t so sure. It didn’t want to just give away its food and get nothing in return.

Using  thumb and index finger, the hand opened up the mouth and peered in.

“I see,” said the hand, “It’s the tongue and the teeth talking. You just want the food for yourself. I’m not going to get ripped off again.”

The hand pulled away from the mouth and grabbed a croissant.
The almond pasted oozed out. But, the hand was still hungry . . . weak and hungry.

“It simple,” said the mouth, “if you feed me, you’ll be fed.”

Seeing no other options, the hand reached up and put the rest of the croissant into the mouth. The food disappeared inside. The mouth smiled as it chewed and swallowed. The hand was livid.

“I was right,” the hand cursed, “the mouth just wanted all the food for itself.”

Then, something strange happened.
The hand felt a surge of energy. Of strength and vitality.

The hand looked up at the mouth. “It’s true isn’t it? If I feed you, I’m fed.”

“Yes,” the mouth said, smiling, “And, by the way, do you have any more of those delicious croissants?”

“Certainly.” The hand smiled back.

Commentary:
Here's a simple way to understand this parable:

• Hand = you
• Mouth = your world
• Message = Feed your world and you’ll be fed

Where in your life are you experiencing struggle? Where would you like to move forward with more ease?

Here are some ways to apply this parable:

• How can you make the lives of those around you more harmonious, meaningful, fun?
• How can you help without meddling, controlling, or seeing them as needing help? In other words, help them in ways that they can experience as helpful.
• What are simple ways for you to "feed" the world around you?

Love & Shanti,
E & D

P.S.
This subject and other similar are addressed in our Wisdom Heart Community teachings. To learn more about the Wisdom Heart Community click here.