Andie’s fiasco with her hair extensions (see yesterday’s blog) reminded me of the Jewish folk tale about the man with a large family who visits his rabbi because the noise and chaos of his home life is driving him crazy.The rabbi tells the man to put his chickens and ducks inside the family hut but when he does the noise gets worse so he returns to the rabbi.
On his second visit, the rabbi suggests that the man should put their goat inside the hut and once again, the man leaves, quite confused, but does as instructed.
When the man returns to complain the rabbi merely responds by telling him to bring their cow inside the family hut. Once again, the frustrated man complies.
By now their tiny home is more crowded and noisy than ever before so the man finally goes back to the rabbi and insists that his problem has gotten so much worse. He questions the rabbi’s counsel and the rabbi. And this time the rabbi simply tells the man to put all the animals back outside which the man quickly goes home to do.
That night the man and his family have the most perfect night of rest. The next day the man rushes to tell the rabbi that he finally had some peace and quiet. And the rabbi smiled and told the man that the next time he thought he had it bad, he should remember that it could always be worse.
