Live as Royce, the Kid

Many years ago lived a farmer who, in addition to raising crops,
had a herd of goats who provided his family and community with
milk and cheese.

One day, a curious-and-often-getting-himself-in-trouble
little kid (the term for young goat) named Royce strayed
from the herd and found that he had tumbled into a
deserted well. Straight down he fell with no apparent
way out of the hole.

Royce cried and cried, attracting the attention of
the farmer.

After numerous attempts to save Royce, the farmer
could no longer stand his bleating pleas for help so
he decided the only thing he could do was to put the
kid out of its misery and bury it in the well.

He invited his neighbors to assist him in the painful
and the only way conceivable way the farmer could see
to put an end to the problem.

Royce stood at the bottom of the well, sad and dejected.
He was unaware of the farmer's plan was for him. He
had grown tired of crying for help. He changed his
strategy to deep thinking and trust that he would
soon be presented with a solution if he kept his
eyes, mind and heart open.

He simply knew the tools to his freedom would appear.

He spent time in quiet contemplation, allowing peace
to fill him where the sadness used to be. He meditated,
focusing on his breathing.

As he felt contentment rise from deep within
his spirit, he found himself surrounded in raining
dirt from above.

He noted the dirt with curiosity as he saw his hoofs
were quickly covered with its brownness.

He realized something in that moment and took action.

Meanwhile, the farmer sadly took his shovel and
continued to put more dirt into the well. He had
noticed how quiet it was down in the well, and he
was beginning to grieve for the
curious-and-often-getting-himself-in-trouble
little kid named Royce.

After shoveling what seemed like a huge mountain of
soil into the well, the farmer suddenly heard the familiar
sound of Royce's call. Looking into the well, he saw
that the smart and innovative little kid had
used the dirt he had thrown down the well as
stairs to freedom instead of as covering to
his own grave.

Excitedly, the farmer added more and more dirt
until Royce scampered out of the well and back
to his herd and his family.

Questions to ponder:

When you are in a hole and dirt falls down
around your feet, what do you see? A step to
freedom or a covering to your grave?

How can you use "the dirt" that shows up in
your life as the foundation for your
future success?

How do you label yourself? Do you call yourself
more frequesntly something like:

"curious-and-often-getting-himself-in-trouble
little kid named (fill in your name)"

OR do you call yourself:

"smart and innovative little kid"?

Which would empower you more?

It is Eleanor Roosevelt who said, "I could not,
at any age, be content to take my place by the
fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to
be lived. Curiousity must be kept alive. One
must never, for whatever reason, turn his
back on life."

Facing your life means taking whatever
dirt is thrown your way and being
curious with it. Accessing the lessons
it is meant to give you. Embracing
each moment without judging or punishing
or making it wrong.

Live as Royce, the Kid.