19/12/2025
Appreciation:
Back a while ago a chap we’ll call John had the great good fortune to be born into a wealthy family. His life was really like a dream life, great family, good education and every opportunity to expand his potentials.
For some reason beyond understanding after his birth his belly button turn gold. Not just gold colour but the real thing. Well of course his family were so proud, but John. No so, It had made him an object of attention and, well in truth he wasn’t that sort of person.
As John became an adult he decided he would like to do something about it. Back a while ago doctors and surgeons didn’t have the technology they do today and rightly or wrongly none of them wanted to attempt removing it.
At around age 32 he was traveling through some of the most holy regions of India. Of course he had the best car and was dressed always in the most resplendent clothing. In a village near one of India’s most holy mountains (not a big big mountain) but a very holy mountain, John came across a holy man ringing his little bell and reciting mantra.
It might have been the sunlight, it might have been the shine that came from the essence of the holy man. But John was captured and sat and stopped walking until the recitations were finished and placed a rather reasonable amount of money in the little bowl that usually had just a few coins in it.
The holy man made wise by his years of devotion and service to others, looked John squarely in the eyes and gently put his hand upon John’s left shoulder and quietly said “ brother I see into you soul that some thing troubles you, can I help lighten your load”
Given the capture of the moment John told him everything, he even lifted his shirt and singlet and showed the holy man the belly button that had caused him to lament and even suffer.
The holy man not known for expressing much emotion, broke into a large and compassionate smile. Onlookers would later say he beamed with joy and the joy quickly spread to John who returned the joyful smile to the holy man, it was as if the air was filled with a pregnant moment almost frozen it time.
With his hand still on John’s shoulder, he said “ brother Rejoyce, if you go to the top of the mountain you will find a large flat rock, go there and lay down precisely at the mid of the day and all worry this shall be taken from you. John thanked the holy man with every kind word he knew and looked down at his watch 9:42 am. The wise man nodded at John and said “go, you can make it, it will be so”
John with a new enthusiasm began to walk at a pace, even running, scrambling across rocks if they made the winding path up the mountain a little quicker. He struggled and worked like perhaps he had never done in his life and finally, finally at one minute to twelve mid-day he found the flat rock and lay upon it, pulled his shirt aside and his singlet up and waited .
I think we all in some way enjoy a little mysteriousness and what happened next certainly was. A small cloud more white than most clouds descended upon him and a cloudy shape of a hand came out and reached down a simply unscrewed the golden belly button. The both the hand and the cloud faded like morning mist.
John was delighted, such a miracle such a blessing, readying himself to face his new life, he stood up and his back fell off.
So, sometimes in life, its wise to spend a little time appreciating what you have, no matter how odd it might be
