[nandm]

Day 4

Caliph Abdul

"Men are much more unwilling to have their weaknesses and their imperfections known than their crimes." Lord Chesterfield

Isn't it strange how some of the things that weigh most heavily on us are the tacky, embarrassing, childish things we've done rather than those really serious behaviors and missteps which occurred in the past?

This reminds me of a tale told in an unexpurgated version of the Arabian Nights:
There was once a Caliph who was holding a very large audience in his palace. Suddenly, he broke wind with an extremely audible outburst. He was so humiliated that he fled the royal city and went into hiding for years, certain that everyone was discussing his embarrassing performance.
Finally, after a number of years had passed, he decided that the incident had probably been forgotten, and he made his way back to the city. Just as he was approaching the palace, he passed a woman in the marketplace explaining to her little boy that he had been born on the day that Caliph Abdul broke wind. The poor man turned around and headed back into the desert, where he became a hermit for the rest of his life.

An outrageous example, perhaps, but how often have we acted like Caliph, and allowed our own fear of embarrassment to prevent us from taking the necessary steps to free us from isolation and shame.

Today's Step: I keep my past behavior in perspective without overdramatizing it.

Step by Step. Muriel Zink