Riding the Bus of Our Life--a Muse

 

                                       

                                                                   "Stoop! Stoop!

     “Benjamin Franklin was one of the most admired men in the world.  To this day he remains a prominent figure in the American gallery of heroes.  Among his many accomplishments, he helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was one of the signers of the Constitution of the United States.

    “Franklin believed strongly in making use of the lessons of experience.  One such valuable lesson about life was learned through a small misfortune that took place when he was a young man.

     “Arriving at minister Cotton Mather’s home for a visit, he entered by the front door and was shown to the study.  There the two men talked for some time.  At the end of the visit, still in conversation, they left the study.  Franklin walked slightly ahead of the minister, looking back over his shoulder as they talked.  The minister motioned Franklin down a narrow, dimly-lit hallway that led to an exit out of the side of the house.  Having entered through the front, Franklin had no way of knowing the hazards of this corridor. 

    “Walking almost backward now, Franklin made another comment. 

    “ ‘Stoop! Stoop!’ the minister said.         

    “Franklin was trying to figure out what the man was talking about, when suddenly the back of his head collided with a low ceiling beam.  Then he understood.

    “Cotton Mather took the occasion to point out an important lesson to the young Ben Franklin.  ‘If you can learn that there are times when you have to stoop, you’ll get through life very nicely,’ he said.  ‘But if you feel you must always stand straight, you’re going to bump your head.’

    “If one learns to exercise wisdom as he walks through life, he will know there are times he must bend—even as the tree in winter must bend under the weight of the snow—or break.”  

                              —From Unlocking the Puzzle Box, a book by Harold Klemp