Resist or Adapt

I stood at the edge of my backyard, staring at a stubborn boulder that had thwarted my shovel. In that moment of frustration, an ancient tale surfaced in my mind. One that carries a truth we often forget in our rush to overcome obstacles.

Two farmers once set out to plow their fields. Both encountered the same challenge. A rock. Unmovable. Unyielding. Disrupting their neat furrows.

The first farmer saw the rock as an enemy. His anger grew with each failed attempt to remove it. He dug. He pulled. He strained. He brought in heavy machinery, determined to triumph over this geological adversary. Finally, when the dust settled, his victory rang hollow. The field destroyed. Unsuitable for planting.

The second farmer did something different. He paused. He observed. And rather than fighting the rock, he worked around it. By day's end, he discovered something. That same rock offered him a perfect vantage point to survey his work. A place to rest, to contemplate, to see his field in its entirety.

This is how we face life's obstacles. Either we meet resistance with force, determined to bend reality to our will, exhausting ourselves fighting what simply is. Or we remain open to the possibility that our obstacles might offer unexpected gifts.

The rock in your path today. That difficult colleague, that unexpected setback, that personal limitation, that financial struggle, that heartbreak. It might not be your enemy. It might be your teacher. It might be your resting place. It might be your lookout point.

In life, you're not called to eliminate all obstacles. You're invited to navigate them with wisdom. To find the path of acceptance that leads to true productivity.

Sometimes, the boulder in your field is not a barrier. It's a cornerstone.