This is a story someone in our system once wrote
Once upon a time in a distant country there was a millers son named Robin. He was a younger son, so he did not inherit the mill, which wasn’t bad at all cause he didn’t care about milling that much. He spent his free time wandering the fields and forests, watching and listening. He had a good ear for listening and eyes that could see. Another gift was that of language and sound. After listening for a while he started to talk with the sparrows, whistling their tune. Then he spoke with the deer. It takes a careful listener to learn their language. Finally he was able to talk to the creeks and the trees.
Nobody knew about Robins gift. People thought he was odd or lazy, maybe a little cracked in his mind. Robs father knew about his gift, cause he inherited it from his mother, who had been a good listener as well. Knowing that Robin needed to listen to more than the grinding sound of the mill he sold a precious book he had hidden away, gave Robin a donkey and a map that led to Somewhere, gave him his blessing and waved him goodbye.
Robin was happy to be free to wander, to see new things, to listen to new people, to learn new songs. He was welcome where ever he went, cause it is the nature of people that they value a keen listener more than an eloquent speaker. In the end its people’s greatest desire to be heard and understood, seen and known for who they are. And this Robin could give to them.
One day, when Robin walked through a broad valley with a wide river and few trees Robins donkey stopped. No matter what Robin did, the donkey wouldn’t move or take another step. Knowing that force was never a good path to follow and being able to listen he asked the donkey what was wrong. His donkey looked at him, almost amused and answered “There you are, so good at seeing and listening and you don’t see what is going on? This valley is in deep distress and I will not take another step that could add to it and neither should you.”
A little ashamed because he had been dreaming and not paying attention to the road Robin looked around for the first time to see where they were.
There was a wide river and a small group of trees. He saw a white stag and a bunch of sparrows circling around his antlers. On the surface everything looked like any other place in the world, but Robin could not be fooled. Something was off. He could see that clearly. But it doesn’t take much skill to see that something is wrong. Everyone can see wrong things. The art of seeing meant to see a solution too.
So Robin sat down to do the only thing that made any sense. Instead of running around, trying to fix everyone he started to listen.
He listened to the river, who was tired and overwhelmed cause she had too much water to carry around and nowhere to go with it.
He listened to the trees who were hurting because someone chewed their bark all the time and they had been thirsty too, but they couldn’t walk away and find a nicer place to stay, cause they were heavy with fruit that no one picked for them.
He listened to the stag who was lonely without his family whom he lost somewhere when he ran away from hunters and he was annoyed by the sparrows circling his crown. All the joy he felt was in eating.
He listened to the sparrows, who mistook the antlers for a small tree and were looking for a place to rest, nest and find food.
Robins heart was moved because of the hard situations everyone was experiencing. He thought that it would be a good idea to share the sorrow with each other as they all shared the same valley.
So after he had listened well he started to speak.
He spoke to the river, sharing that not that far away he had listened to trees who were thirsty and who would help the river by taking some of her water. If the river would just change her path a little bit she could help and be helped in return.
He spoke to the trees with comfort and a promise to find help. The trees were hurting the most because they were stuck in their place with only their memory of that place and no way to leave. So help had to come to them. Robin left them with a promise to return with something to help. Even if all he could offer was his ability to listen, he knew that was plenty too.
He spoke to the stag, addressing his anger and frustration. He explained that fruit taste better than bark and eating fruit would help the trees while eating the bark harmed them. It was the first time the stag looked up and saw the fruit. And he was willing to eat those instead of bitter bark.
He spoke to the sparrows and asked them to watch the stag with the trees. So the sparrows saw it for themselves, that the trees were a better place to nest, to find shelter and food. They stopped annoying the stag and started to help the trees to lift the burden of their fruit. Thankful for the example of the stag and somewhat ashamed of having annoyed him so much they sent out sparrow scouts to find his family. And they did.
The stag was very happy to see his wife and kids again and they settled down by the river and the trees, to help drink the water and eat the fruit and to protect the sparrows too.
All the while the trees had been standing there patiently and watched the river come to them to ease their thirst, the stag stopping to hurt the bark and helping with the burdening fruit instead, and somehow without even knowing how that was possible, they had become a shelter and a safe place for a whole bunch of little sparrows.
Robin sat down in the middle of the valley and listened and observed. This was a much better place now. He knew there was magic in listening and deep wisdom in helping others to understand. Sometimes a little help was needed, but that is the reason why listeners existed. He was content with his work in this place. His donkey nodded in approval and they both got up and followed their map to Somewhere.
Leave a Reply