Staying ‘off the beaten path’ finds me in a cozy corner of rural southern Illinois, just outside of a sign indicating Bible Grove, Illinois, is currently my neighbor.
I’ve definitely seen an increase of flags in the past few days. Flags on porches. Flags (and ribbons) on front yard trees. Flags hanging from car windows. Flags on shirts and hats. Flags indicating their support of our great country. Which brings me to today, the day we call Indepenence Day.
It leads me to ponder what exactly we’ve become independent from. If I remember correctly I think it had something to do with becoming independent from an overbearing government. We decided we wanted the citizens to run the government, rather than having the government rule the citizens. How disappointing it all seems somedays. Enough about that though, let us get to the swan.
We all remember the story about the ugly duckling, well upon re-reading ‘The Tao of Pooh’ I came across something appropos for today’s topic of independence. Self-independence that it.
“In the story of the Ugly Duckling, when did the Ugly Duckling stop feeling ugly? When he realized that he was a Swan. Each of us has something Special, a Swan of sort, hidden inside somewhere. But until we recognize that it’s there, what can we do but splash around, treading water? The Wise are Who They Are. They work with what they’ve got and do what they can.”
May we all find the Swan we have within us. May we all be Who We Are. The following paragraph in Benjamin Hoff’s book (which you should all buy – shameless plug for a man I’ve never met and a book I’ve never let go of) lends itself to this topic of self-independence as well:
“There are things about ourselves that we need to get rid of; there are things we need to change. But at the same time, we do not need to be too desperate, too ruthless, too combative. Along the way to usefulness and happiness, many of those things will change themselves, and the others can be worked on as we go. The first thing we need to do isrecognize and trust our own Inner Nature, and not lose sight of it. For within the Ugly Duckling is the Swan, inside the Bouncy Tigger is the Rescuer who knows the Way, and in each of us is something Special, and that we need to keep.”
‘The Tao of Pooh’ by Benjamin Hoff
So again may we all find the Swan within. peace
