Stone soup- it’s my philosophy towards this season.
A fable of a hungry lad who took a pot and stone to the neighboring village. Knocked on the first door and said “I am making stone soup on the village square, please come join me. Do you have a little extra something you could contribute?” So some may have extra cilantro, others- extra beef, others- the onions. But if we all give a little of what we already have versus what we don’t have. Then we all have a more delicious soup that feeds us all. It’s healthy and sustainable and better tasting than on our own.
For many years, I was learning that to be single is better than to be in unhealthy relationships. In this new season, I am learning that healthy partnership is better than being single.
This is truly an example of the tension of two truths. (part 2) The first truth is the healthiness of my relationship with myself. Owning what I have, even when it doesn’t seem to be much. We often overlook the stones and “boring” pots in our lives. I have gifts, talents and assets even if they don’t seem as tangible or special as others. You cannot eat a stone or a pot like you can cilantro or onions. But the reality is when I can see the gifts of me in a healthy way, it’s part of the solution.
And the reality is though it’s delightful being me, I am one and the true fulfillment of our lives in the context of others. This is the second truth. We are one puzzle piece in a grand puzzle. Understanding the concave aspect of who we are and allowing others to fill in those places by the shape of who they are is a skillset.
We do need others, whether we recognize it or not. We are kings, whether we recognize or not. We are king-makers whether we recognize or not. These are universal life skills. How’s the stone soup tasting in your business? In your family? In your community? What is missing? What is working? What is muddled? And what is the “dream recipe?”
