The Carpenter

Old Joe and his neighbour had lived across from each other for years. Their families grew up together and their kids moved away at about the same time. Now that both their wives had died, they only had each other. Often, the words they spoke to each other were the only words they would speak all day until, one afternoon, when his neighbour claimed a calf he found on his land as his. Old Joe disagreed vehemently saying, “Any fool could see by the markings it’s mine.” They began to argue and an exchange of cruel and thoughtless words ended their disagreement in a silent standoff. Weeks of silence turned into months. Their bitterness festered.

One day a travelling carpenter appeared at Old Joe’s door. He wanted work and looked decent enough so Joe invited him in. After giving him some soup and a hunk of bread, Joe called him over to the window.

“See that creek there?” The carpenter nodded. “It wasn’t there yesterday. That damn fool neighbour of mine took a plough, dug a ditch, flooded it and made that creek in between our properties, just to spite me.” The carpenter nodded. Joe said, “I got a job for you. I want you to build a tall fence, high enough so I don’t ever have to look at his property or his house. Can you do that?” The carpenter nodded, “I think I can do a job that will make you happy.” They agreed that the next day Joe would show him where the timber was, drive into town as he had planned and check up on the work in the evening.

The next morning Joe set off early. He had a long day in town. It was late when he crested the hill in his old wagon and saw what the carpenter had done. His eyes bulged in disbelief and he pushed the horses to a gallop. Instead of the fence he had ordered, the carpenter had built him a bridge across the damned creek.

Just as Joe reined his horses to a stop and was climbing down to give that carpenter a piece of his mind, his neighbour crossed the bridge and stopped him dead in his tracks with a heartfelt hug. “Joe, you are a bigger man than I am. I would never have had the courage to build that bridge. Y’know, I reckon that calf really was yours after all.”

Caught off-guard Joe hugged him back and mumbled something about “easy mistake to make” and “no problem.” The carpenter nodded and Joe thought he saw a wink and a smile out of the corner of his eye. Joe asked the carpenter to stay around. The carpenter nodded, but said he had other bridges to build and fences to mend.
 

o - o - o - 0 - o - o - o

Many people set out to look for the forest and get lost in the trees. In your dreams coaching gives you the space, time and tools to break out of this self-perpetuating cycle, get a clear picture of what you want and helps you design a suitable route map to your chosen destination.

Your first success has been recognising the need for assistance.

Your second is having the good sense to call for it.

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"The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind." ~ Wayne Dyer