The wolves

I have kind of been living inside of my own personal Hell recently. (Searching for a personal Jesus is harder than it looks, I might add.) In any case, as in any life, there are ups and there are downs and you have to take the good with the bad. I have come to realize this to be one of the most important lessons I've ever learned. Regardless, in a recent email, I was fortunate to receive encouraging words and this tidbit of Native American wisdom. I am sharing it here:

One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside of people. He said, “My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment, and inferiority. The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth, and compassion.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

I don't know much about wolves, but I hope that in my life, I've managed to choose the correct wolf.