wheat grains

There is a story from Persian folklore.

A man called Kooli thought himself to be the most unlucky man alive on the Earth. He thought that if he would even look up when it was raining, the Rain God would stop the rain! If he would extend a hand to pluck a flower even the plant would shrink away from his touch. So, he decided to seek ‘Fate’ and ask him why he was so unkind to him. He walked for a long time in search of Fate but no one seemed to know where he lived. En route he met a wolf. Kooli said, “Oh wolf! Do know where Fate lives?” The wolf looked up slowly with heavy eyelids and said, “If you help me to get rid of this splitting headache, I’ll help you to look for Fate.” Kooli said, “Sorry, I can’t waste my time, I’ll see you on my way back and then I’ll try and help you.” The wolf said, “If you find Fate, ask him to help me too, to get rid of my headache!”

The man moved on. He met a gardener who looked very sad. Kooli asked the gardener, “Brother, can you help me to find Fate?” The gardener replied sadly, “If I knew where he lived, I would have asked him about my Fate. My master is going to have all the trees in the garden uprooted, because they don’t bear fruit anymore. What will become of me? Where will I go?” The gardener wailed in sorrow as the man hurried away.

Further beyond he had to cross a river. There he met a fish who looked groggy and sleepy. The man said wearily, “Dear fish, do you know where I can find Fate!” The fish was barely able to speak, “I don’t, but if you find him, please ask him why I cannot sleep. I am soooo tired.”

The man trudged on and finally he found Fate, sitting on a mountain. Kooli said, “Oh! I am so happy to see you at last. Please tell me, why I am so unfortunate? Why do good things never happen to me? Why am I never lucky? Why am I so unhappy? Why am I not fortunate?” Fate sighed and said, “Hang on my friend. Enough of questions! Go back and you shall find good luck and fortune on the way!”

Kooli said, “I met a wolf with a headache, an unhappy gardener and a sleepless fish on the way. What should I say to them?” Fate replied, “The fish has a pearl stuck in its nostril, if someone were to remove it, the fish would become alright. Tell the gardener to dig deep under all the trees; he would find a treasure! Tell the wolf to eat a lazy and stupid man that should cure him of his headache!”

Kooli returned with a spring in his step. He conveyed Fate’s message to the fish. The fish asked Kooli to help remove the pearl from his nostril. Kooli said, “Sorry, don’t have time. I’ve got to go!” The gardener widened his eyes when he heard the reply of Fate and said, “Stay with me my friend. Let’s dig up the garden together. We’ll share the treasure.” But Kooli was too high in the head to soil his hands and walked away with his nose in the air!

Finally he gave Fate’s message to the wolf. The wolf bared his front teeth and snarled, “Who would be lazier or more stupid than you? I’m going to eat you!”

Somehow, he managed to run away and save his life. He sat under a tree to rest and realized what a fool he had been. He had not recognized fortune and opportunity as they had come across his way. He went back to the fish and relieved it of the pearl in its nostril. He went to the gardener and together they dug up the garden. Of course they found no treasure chest, but soon the trees bore fruits and there was a huge crop that made them rich!

Opportunity surely comes our way, but if we shut it out and curse our fate then why should even fate be kind to us?

Everyone wants happiness, nobody wants pain,
How is it possible to see a rainbow without a little rain?
Remember that all good things have to be done the hard way. Ease and Elevation can never go together.

It’s important to not lose your zest for life. Take up each day as a challenge or an opportunity given to you. As Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds said, “When you’re green you grow; when you’re ripe, you rot.”