Bearing Fruit
Posted on Mar 03, 2010
There are times when, although we strain mightily, it is difficult to see the opportunities that abound in our everyday surroundings. Frankly, our minds gravitate toward order and structure, therefore when we finally have things organized and everything “is in its place” the natural inclination is to not entertain variations. It is a rare individual indeed that can buck the “but we’ve always done it this way” headwind and not only see possibilities but realize them as well. Hans Christian Anderson wrote a short story that he called Good Luck Can Lie in a Pin about the experience of a poor woodworker who quite accidentally discovered potential where none was imagined. He was then smart enough to let his discovery bear fruit.
Anderson’s story is of a young man raised in poverty who, though he became a capable wood turner, haplessly lived hand to mouth even after his marriage. The man’s stock and trade became making umbrellas with turned wooden handles. As life continued the simple craftsman was content with his work, an abundant supply of wild berries for food and the natural beauty of a single pear tree, which failed to produce pears. One day, after a violent windstorm, the woodworker noticed a large limb had fallen from the pear tree. As a comical diversion he brought the wood to his lathe and turned a number of wooden pears from the limb. Finally, the tree would bear pears! As luck would have it one day he chose to use one of these small wooden pears to make an emergency repair to a closure-button on an umbrella. When he saw that his solution was even more functional than the original button arrangement, he distributed a few umbrellas with the wooden pears installed instead of the typical buttons. The new system was an overwhelming success and he soon was no longer poor.
Whether you have the gift to see possibilities where others see none, or the gift to find order in a series of unrelated events that unlocks hidden potential, the world needs you! Keep sharing your gifts and believing that the world you imagine has the potential to be a better one than the world we now know.
