Standing On One Leg ( I have no idea where this came from- hope you enjoy)

It was a man’s lifelong ambition to be able to stand on one leg for 48 hours straight. In order to draw attention to himself he did it at a park downtown. He picked a spot right in the middle of the park’s major thoroughfare and lifted his leg to begin his 48 hour exercise.

Several hours into it some small children playing ball ran in circles all around him- having so much fun that they didn’t even notice that he was there. As one passed the ball to another, the ball hit the man in the head, almost knocking him over. The man was furious and scolded the children for not paying attention to him. They ran away terrified.

A few hours later, a time of day when the park was rather empty, an elderly man who was walking nearby tripped and fell and could not get back up. The man standing on one leg yelled over to him that someone should be along soon who could help and shifted his focus back to his balance.

A whole day passed, many distractions came and went, but the man stood firm. He was approaching his 40th hour when a blind woman with a white cane entered the park. She felt along the sidewalk with her cane swaying back and forth along the ground. The man grumbled as she approached. As she got closer, the man yelled,” Watch out lady, there’s someone in front of you!” The woman, startled, swung her body around to try to deduct with her ears where the yell came from. As she did her cane swung quickly toward the man; hitting him right on the shin of his planted leg. The cane packed just enough force to knock the man to the ground because his one leg was so weak.

As he lay on his back looking up at the frightened blind woman he cursed at her and mourned the fact that he had came so close to his dreams only to see them shattered towards the finish line.

The woman reached down and grabbed the man by his hand, almost as if she could see exactly where it was, and pulled him up from the ground with amazing strength. The man looked up, perplexed, and as he looked at the blind woman, all he could see was what appeared to be the face of Jesus.

He looked around him while being lifted up. It was as if time nearly slowed to a stop. He became accutely aware of a robin feeding her young a freshly caught worm.

His eyes were drawn to a mother reading to her son on a park bench accross the lawn.

His attention shifted to a young man pushing his quadriplegic friend down the path by the pond; both with smiles on their faces as they strolled along.

The sound of a honey bee caught his attention. He watched it dilligently carrying a large load of pollen from one flower to the next. He saw rays of sunshine gently beat down upon the fragile flower the bee had flown from. It was as if the flower opened up its petals and recieved them with joy and thanksgiving.

While taking in the enchantment of the world all around, time shifted to its normal speed and he heard a loud booming voice say to him,” THIS is not about YOU.” The warm embrace from the hand of the blind woman disintegrated into thin air. As he looked around, she was nowhere to be found.

A tear ran down the man’s face as he began to see the purpose of this life unfold around him. It wasn’t about his selfish personal endeavors; it was about others. He felt the satisfaction of the robin, the mother, the young man, the bee, and the sun, swell up within his heart; not because they had accomplished something for themselves, but because they had accomplished something for someone else. “That”, the man said,” is true satisfaction and joy.”

He stretched his legs, looked around, and sprinted out of the park to spend the rest of his day with his father who lay fragiley close to death in the bed of a nursing home.