The Trouble Tree
Wipe your paws elsewhere!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,672
The Trouble Tree
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, a rabbi took the people in his village to a big tree. He told them that this was the Trouble Tree and that they could hang their troubles on it. All the people unrolled their troubles from their bags. Some people's troubles were stuck to long strips of red and white cloth; those with little troubles sewed theirs to tiny squares of blue silk.
It took a long time for the villagers to hang up their troubles, and for a while, it looked as though there were too many troubles and not enough branches, but finally all the bags were empty and the tree looked like a liquid rainbow, it had so many colors on it, all swaying in the breeze.
The people of the village spent the day playing together, singing songs, eating, and talking. At the end of the day, the rabbi said, "We must go home now. Each of you must take a trouble from the tree. You can take the one you brought with you or you can take another person's trouble Whose trouble will you choose?"
"And what do you think the people did," the rabbi asked. "Everyone wanted the same trouble they brought with them. Nobody wanted to switch."
Earnest Hemmingway says that the world breaks everyone and some of us are strong in the broken places. The purpose of healing is to be strong in the broken places.
--From "When Food is Love: Exploring the Relationship Between Eating and Intimacy" by Geneen Roth
We can't focus on healing ourselves and becoming strong in our broken places if we choose to focus on someone else's troubles.
It took a long time for the villagers to hang up their troubles, and for a while, it looked as though there were too many troubles and not enough branches, but finally all the bags were empty and the tree looked like a liquid rainbow, it had so many colors on it, all swaying in the breeze.
The people of the village spent the day playing together, singing songs, eating, and talking. At the end of the day, the rabbi said, "We must go home now. Each of you must take a trouble from the tree. You can take the one you brought with you or you can take another person's trouble Whose trouble will you choose?"
"And what do you think the people did," the rabbi asked. "Everyone wanted the same trouble they brought with them. Nobody wanted to switch."
Earnest Hemmingway says that the world breaks everyone and some of us are strong in the broken places. The purpose of healing is to be strong in the broken places.
--From "When Food is Love: Exploring the Relationship Between Eating and Intimacy" by Geneen Roth
We can't focus on healing ourselves and becoming strong in our broken places if we choose to focus on someone else's troubles.
get it, give it, grow in it
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calif coast
Posts: 3,167
Pain will make us stronger and grow only if we truly feel it and have the wisdom to learn the lessons. My AS brought me to my knees. I have grown and can handle it.
I am blessed in So many ways. I gladly accept my problems, face them and learn to deal.
I am blessed in So many ways. I gladly accept my problems, face them and learn to deal.
Wipe your paws elsewhere!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,672
The only way to overcome our original pain--the pain that we've been ignoring our entire lives--is to accept it, stop fearing it, feel it, learn from it, grow stronger from it, then finally let it go.
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 5,075
Originally Posted by FormerDoormat 
The only way to overcome our original pain--the pain that we've been ignoring our entire lives--is to accept it, stop fearing it, feel it, learn from it, grow stronger from it, then finally let it go.
I could not have done this process on my own.
CindeRella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life!
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Spreading my wings
Posts: 7,163
Thank you for this post FD
We can't focus on healing ourselves and becoming strong in our broken places if we choose to focus on someone else's troubles.
Yes Denny what a process! I'm working on this now for the probably 2 or 3rd time but this time along with help it will be the last!
We can't focus on healing ourselves and becoming strong in our broken places if we choose to focus on someone else's troubles.
Yes Denny what a process! I'm working on this now for the probably 2 or 3rd time but this time along with help it will be the last!
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