Motivation
Nov
04
The old man and the apples
Ray and I took a drive to West Virginia to see the fall leaves. I love crisp, juicy apples and wanted to stop at a roadside stand to buy some. We saw a sign for an orchard and turned off on a side road. We turned down a road that looked like a driveway to someone’s house and prepared to turn around and go back. Then we spotted an old man sitting on a chair in what looked like a huge garage with no front side. He was just sitting there in front of a huge stack of wooden boxes. I asked him if he had apples for sale. He stood up and pointed to the boxes. He said he had Rome apples. He also had a small pile of miniature pumpkins. His grandson had grown them. The pride lit up that wiry old man’s eyes.
We bought a box of apples and 4 little pumpkins. The man transferred the apples to a cardboard box and gave me a bag for the pumpkins. The apples had been picked just that morning. He said he grew peaches too. About half of his orchard was apples and the other half peaches. He gave us his card so we could call him to find out when the peaches were ripe.
I always took pride in the fact that I am rarely bored. If I expect to have to wait somewhere, I take a book or magazine to read. I thought about that man just sitting there with nothing to do. I thought and thought about him. His eyes were so happy. He was content. He wasn’t bored. He worked hard when it was time to work and he rested when it was time to rest.
Meditation is a popular practice today. You can take classes or buy tapes to help learn how. I realized that the old man knew how to meditate. He sat on his chair on a lovely fall day. Maybe he was thinking about something, but my hunch is that his mind was clear and he was taking in the beauty of a perfect day.
Sit down somewhere in a peaceful setting and clear your mind. You can be in a field by a stream, in a library or in the bathtub. Take in the beauty around you. Listen to the sounds. Relax and enjoy being alive.