Posted by Akkarin on behalf of Senan.
Open Sermon - Learn to Sleep Peacefully
Written By Senan – 6/3/14
I recently came across a story from my childhood, and although many of you may have heard this one before, I believe it is worth sharing.
Years ago a farmer worked a treacherous bit of land along the seacoast. The work was not easy, and he constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms near the sea. They dreaded the awful storms that raged, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
"Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."
Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.
The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant when he said “I can sleep when the wind blows”
Too often we find ourselves distracted from completing our obligations. Our attention is constantly being drawn in all directions. It is more and more difficult to focus on the things that are truly important.
And yet, Focus is at the core of being a Jedi. When we are able to prune the irrelevant and pour the best of our minds into what we are doing, we can become much more effective instruments of the Force.
The Third Teaching tells us that “Jedi are aware of the future impacts of action and inaction and of the influence of the past, but live in and focus on the Now.” As Jedi, we must remember not to fret over the past or worry about the future. Live in the Now, focus on the tasks at hand, and allow the Force to guide you. Do this each day, and you will sleep peacefully through any storm.
So I ask myself each night as I lay to rest, “Can I sleep tonight if the wind blows?”
