Beech Tree News Network

As soon as he opened his mouth they knew him for what he was:
Perhaps many of us have heard the story of the donkey who struck oil on his farm and became rich overnight; a millionaire. But with the coming of wealth he became bored and discontented with his station in life. He felt like he needed to get into high society; he must not associate with ordinary donkeys any more – he must associate with horses. So he went to a beauty expert and got his ears trimmed and his tail pinned down. That night found him among the socially elite. He felt thoroughly out of place, but he went home feeling very pleased with himself – basking in a sense of “arrival”.
All went well for weeks; then one night his new friends asked him to sing. This let the cat out of the bag. He could only “sing” in the way of the “donkey”. His high position slipped from him. So he took his sore ears and pinned-down tail and trudged home, feeling low but not for long. But after a while he stopped grieving over seeming loss. Then one day after he got back among donkeys he realized this was the happiest day of his life – he could be himself again.
No kind of position can guarantee abundant living. That depends on what we are inside. “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, or a Hell of Heaven.” (John Milton, Paradise Lost)
It’s been said those who win political positions are often more wretched than those who fail. President G.W. Bush (the son), said after he was governor of Texas, all he wanted to do was go to Wal-Mart and buy himself a new fishing plug and get it wet.
Also those who live on Fifth Avenue, NY, do not laugh any more than the rest of us. Saint Thomas Aquinas told of his quest for fame and position as a young man. “Then”, he recounted, “one day I was walking down the street of my city and saw this ragged – looking fellow, apparently well-fed, laughing, talking, and enjoying himself among friends; it suddenly dawned on my – what a fool I’ve been. This really is what I have been looking for all along – rank and eminence could not bring it.”
My old friend, Warren Newberry, whom I worked with at a chemical plant in Texas, said one day: “You know, I make a pretty good salary, but sometimes I wish I still lived back in Arkansas, at the end of a road in the sticks, and the best suit of clothes I had was a pair of overalls.”
“…You may be their pride and joy, but, they’ll find another toy, and they’ll take away you Crown; pick me up on your way down.” (Charlie “poke-sallet” Walker)
Kindest Regards…