The Sun and The Wind

The Sun and the Wind were playing games one day tossing and dodging clouds. Becoming bored with this game, Wind suggested a challenge. Sun agreed to participate. Spotting a man hurrying along the sidewalk, Wind said, “Let us see who can get him to take off his coat; I’ll go first.” Sun smiled.

Wind huffed and puffed. Wind pushed clouds this way and that. The man pulled his coat tighter and tighter around him and never took it off. Finally out of breath, Wind took a break. It was Sun’s turn.

Sun shown brightly. The warmth spread gently through the sky and reached the man’s back. The clouds spread out revealing a beautiful blue sky. Warmed from the heat emitted from the light, the man smiled and let go of the shiver he had felt from the wind. Sun beamed brighter and the man looked up to notice the trees and birds flitting back and forth between the branches. He slowed his pace. He reached back and took off his coat, hooking it under his arm, and began to whistle as he walked away.

After school recently, my son admitted to me that he had received a conduct mark. He had become frustrated by a group project. Instead of working through the issues with his peers, he angrily moved pieces of the group project, in a way, breaking it. Uh, oh. Not ok, and my son ended up with a conduct mark on his calendar and a time out at the playground. He couldn’t understand why he had been reprimanded in such a way when the project piece was so easily moved back to the correct position, fixing the mistake.

I asked him if he could think of some ways that he could have responded differently rather than acting in anger to move the project pieces once he became frustrated.

He was unsure.

I asked if he could have taken a deep breath to clear his head. Perhaps he could have asked for help.

We came up with a few more ideas such as talking with his teacher or again asking his friends to listen to his ideas for the project perhaps even offering to show how the changes might work.

I let him know that I could completely understand getting angry but tried to help him also think through the loss of self control or loss of thought in moments of anger.

It was a good talk, and I was proud of him for telling me about it before I saw the conduct mark on his calendar and had to ask.

A calm voice through our conversation and a big hug at the end certainly helped, too. Healing warmth.

Angry is going to happen. How we act within anger or frustration…that’s a choice. Spreading gentle warmth with patience can be positively effective. You can still solve the problem or get the job done. Let’s be the light.

With love and light,

LT

Author’s note: The Sun and The Wind story above was my own memory version of one of Aesop’s Fables told to me as a child during a meditation class during choir camp one summer. It stuck with me. Take some time to look up Aesop. Fascinating. Ancient wisdom. Glad to have it today.