A Walking Fable

I will never win any fashion awards on my morning walk.
Especially in the winter, my attire is all about warmth.
I wear my same periwinkle blue, Columbia jacket with a hood.
On most cold mornings, that hood will be on my head.

I always keep gloves and tissues in my pocket.
I have my phone in one pocket and my keys in another.
Since it is early morning and my walk begins facing east, I wear sunglasses.
I realized that just the oval of my face is visible.

Walking for me is not about how I look.
Walking for me is exercise.
Walking in the winter can be challenging.
However, walking in the winter can also be exhilarating.

I did not start my walk with my hood pulled up.
I did not need to wear my gloves either.
But as I neared the cul-de-sac at the edge of our development, the wind whipped up.
I pulled the hood up in one swift move and tucked my hands into my sleeves.

Walking is my time to think and pray.
I laughed to myself as I envisioned what I must look like to the neighbors that drive by.
They each wave as they pass.
We all seem to be on the same schedule.

The wind whipped around me.
I noticed that there was no way to actually fasten the hood.
I had to hold it in place for a portion of my walk.
I moved my one arm while the other arm held onto the hood.

I was growing tired of holding my hood around my head.
I remembered walking in the early spring and leaving the house with just a light jacket.
Near the halfway point of my walk, the light jacket and the brisk pace was making me warm.
I tied the arms of the jacket around my waist and finished my walk.

Walking in the winter is just the opposite.
Layers are needed.
If it is too cold, I can add layers.
If it is too warm, I can remove some layers.

I used to love Aesop’s fables when I was young and read them to my own children.
It is believed that Aesop lived in Ancient Greece; he was a slave and a storyteller.
Aesop’s stories were initially told orally.
With the arrival of printing, Aesop’s fables were some of the earliest books printed.

I loved the way a lesson was always learned.
I love the way a story about animals could teach a moral lesson.
The story always wrapped up neatly in one sentence.
That one sentence summation was something you could carry with you.

The lesson had an impact because the story reinforced it so well.
There was a moral lesson and word picture that went along with it.
Who could forget, The Lion and the Mouse or The Dog and His Reflection?
The Tortoise and the Hare is still a favorite: Slow and steady wins the race.

An Aesop fable came to mind on my walk.

The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveler coming down the road, and the Sun said: “I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can cause that traveler to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger You begin.” So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveler. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveler wrap his cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair. Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveler, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.
KINDNESS EFFECTS MORE THAN SEVERITY.

I began to understand.
The wind whipped and I pulled the hood tighter around my head.
The wind blew and I tucked my hands inside my sleeves.
The wind whistled and I pulled the zipper of my jacket closer to my neck.

Cold weather does such a thing.
However, in the warmer weather the layers come off.
The light jacket gets tied around the my waist or placed on the mailbox.
Layers are not necessary then.

According to the fable, the wind and the sun had an argument.
They wanted to determine who was stronger.
What does it mean to be strong?
How does one go about showing strength?

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

Noise and bravado is not a sign of strength.
In fact, as in the case of the wind, a person will go tighter inside themselves for protection.
However, gentleness is quiet strength.
Gentleness is much more effective.

The power of the wind only made the person pull the coat tighter around them.
The gentle, quiet warmth of the sun caused the person to remove the layers that covered them.
In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength. (Isaiah 30:15)
Strength is found in gentleness.

Bravado is often just a lot of noise.
Gentleness quietly shines.
Gentleness is a much better motivator.
As Aesop taught: Kindness effects more than severity.