Caught between the hippo and the eagle

“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.”

Isn’t that the truth?

The American writer, Carl Sandburg, won three Pulitzer Prizes. One of them had to have been received for writing that simple statement, don’t you think?  He nailed the daily, internal struggle for many of us.

I’ve giggled about and contemplated that description often. And here’s what I’ve discovered…

We usually picture that hippo lazily rolling around in that black, slimy, gritty mud hole, with water up to his shoulders. Right?

Well, he didn’t start there.

He got into the mud by first dipping one (huge!) toe into the water, and the rest of him followed.  (Or perhaps we should say, he dropped one huge toe into the water and the rest of him plopped!)

The lesson?

Keep your tootsies out of the mud!

If you start flirting with temptation or get too close to those situations that will only cause you heartache, you are going to plop right in before you know it! Rolling in the mud just shouldn’t be something we aspire to. Right?

Matthew wrote in his 26th chapter, “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Just imagine that hippo…

I bet that once his toe hits the mud, there’s no stopping him. Even if he wanted to stay on shore, he’s started the slippery slide and he just can’t pull himself out.

So, lesson applied

Stay away from the situations that invite you into dangerous territory. Don’t pick up the book that conflicts with your divine soul. Stay away from the fridge when you’re upset. Keep your mouth closed when you’re angry about work and you want to take it out on your roommate or spouse.

Keep your toes out of the mud…

Wallowing in the mud is just so unladylike.

Today I’m thinking about our tootsies. Where will yours take you?

 

 

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