Diamonds in a cow pie and poop in the brownies

Ever hear the story about the dad who made brownies for his children?

He described all the yummy ingredients; sugar, flour, cocoa, etc., and then mentioned that he’d thrown in just a bit of dog poop.

Naturally, the kids refused to eat the brownies.  I think it was supposed to be some sort of morality lesson about keeping yourself pure . . . "the slightest bit of dirt/sin defines who you are".

I’ve applied this idea to myself and my life regularly.

Determining my value by how I measure up, comparing myself with others, 
and with the expectations I have for myself.
Noting any flaw and generalizing it to define me.  

Does a flaw in me cause the entirety of me to be without merit?  
Does life not going as one hopes or expects mean life ain’t worth living?  Nope.
(Do we sometimes live as if this is true?)

Where does value come from; the value of a human being?
The sum of one's parts?  Balance between "good" and "bad"?  
Strengths vs weaknesses?

Suppose you’re heading across the field to round up your cattle, when you spy a cow pie that for some reason has diamonds scattered through it.  (You never know what a cow might eat. I guess this might be more believable if I’d used a goat.  
(Do they produce pies?)

Would you keep on walking by, only seeing a pile of dung, or would you figure a way to get those precious gems out of that future cow chip Frisbee?

Am I that pile of dung, full of gems that aren’t easily seen because of my failings?

Does the ugliness I see in myself, the shortcomings that are glaringly apparent to me, negate any positives I have?

Sometimes I feel like the poop tainted brownies.  
That cow pie.

The truth is none of us resemble these things. 

Sure, shit gets on us, shit shows up inside us, but that doesn’t make us shit.

Why am I on this earth?  What value do I bring?    
I guess the short answer is to love and be loved.

Each of us is a precious soul, put here for some reason.  
No matter how we feel, how we look, what we can do, what we can’t . . .

I am here to be me.  
Honest, transparent, beautiful me.  
No matter my limitations.  
No matter what I can or cannot "contribute". 
No matter if I'm able to speak or run or dance . . .
I'm here to be whoever and whatever I am, right now.

True for all of us. 


If you can climb mountains: climb mountains.

If you must be cared for by others: be cared for by others.  
We are all gems just as we are.

Beautiful, precious gems.  
Look for that spark in those around you.  
Seek to recognize that glow within yourself.   
Smile at it.  
Feed it.   
Don’t get distracted by the cow pies and the dog poop. 
They are nothings which distract from what is truly beautiful and real.  
Love and truth wash them away.


Compassion . . . kindness . . . gentleness . . . 
for self and others 
will draw out the shine and the sparkle that's in each of us.

fractal from: http://www.enchgallery.com
Thanks to Joshua Seek for sharing this interesting final picture with me!