How Habits Saved a Devastated Man

There once lived a farmer who had a wife and three young children. They lived a nonchalant life. The children would play in the fields, that were large and open, and the farmer would apply his hand to his craft and produce a good yield every year, just like his father and his father’s father. Every few years, bandits would pass through the village and they would inflict disaster. Yet, the village survived, recovered and then thrived. Unfortunately, that was not to happen when his wife had just conceived their fourth child. The bandits were different. As they went from farm to farm, the cry was more depressing and they left a fire more devastating. When they arrived at his door, they took out his wife and children, and immediately killed them. The farmer had gone on a journey, and was not back for a day. On seeing their lifeless bodies, he was so devastated that he wanted vengeance immediately. He rallied all the young men in the village who had been with him, took every weapon they could muster and set out to inflict the pain that lay so deep in his heart.

As days drew to weeks and then months they were unable to find the bandits. Word came to them that the bandits had been ambushed by an army and slaughtered to a man. When he finally arrived at the scene he felt lost. The captain of the army felt his pain but urged the men to go back home. The grief was still heavy and untamed vengeance still tore at their hearts, but they started back home. The young man was deeply troubled, and wanted to commit suicide, the pain was too much to bear.

There was a wise old man who lived a distance from the village and he got to know of what had happened, and as they came back home, he went to the farmer and asked him to walk with him on a day’s journey.

Under a tree the old man asked the young man to dig up on a specific spot, and after a few hours he landed on a sack. In the sack were seeds that had been carefully concealed.

The young man was puzzled. “You are a farmer yes?” asked the old man. “Yes, I am,” retorted the young man. “Ok! I want you to tell me what those are?” Asked the old man. “I don’t know what they are. I have never seen such before,” said the young man. “Those are the rarest seeds of a tree that was burned down many years ago. It was said that they had become extinct and only an excellent farmer would be able to nurture them back into existence. I believe I am looking at that farmer,” said the wise old man. “I want you to do me a favor. I want you to bring the tree and its fruits back to life. I will give you a large piece of land and I want you to tend for them,” declared the old man. The young man thought about it for a while and tears came down his eyes. Deep down he knew the gesture at hand. “I will try,” he said. The old man nodded and the next few days spent time with the young man and when they got back he gave him the deed to the land, bade him goodbye and left.

The young man had a decision to make; end his life and leave nothing behind, or mould his life and leave behind a legacy that would remind the world of his wife and children.

So the following day, he made a decision. “Start at your feet, and look no further,” he remembered the old man saying. “Don’t look at the size of the land which is immense. But start with a small piece. Use few seeds to educate you on how the plant needs nurturing. Make mistakes with the first few, but pay attention and learn, so that they are not careless costly mistakes. As you learn move faster, and plant more.” He followed the instructions he was given.

The first 10 seeds died. He was devastated, but the old man came to visit and encouraged him. Instead of giving them water every day they needed less water. The few changes the old man advised him on made sure the next 10 seeds were able to sprout and grow a stem.

He was so happy that he invited his friends to see these small ‘wonders’. But they didn’t understand what he was ranting about. So he held back his joy and only shared it with the old man, who understood the magnitude of his success.

The next step was to repeat his learned success on the next set of seeds and they grew. As time went by he realized what would work, and what wouldn’t. He also applied knowledge. He visited all the greatest farmers in the region and beyond to learn from them. He wrote letters to and went to the great botanical library to study. He then increased the number of seeds he planted after a few months.

Finally, after 4 years the fruits of the first tree came forth and they were not as sweet. But, he already had a habit of testing and researching on how to make the fruit better, and with time he was able to produce a sweet and pleasant fruit wonderful in texture. 

Seven years later, he had occupied half the field the old wise man had left him and soon people started coming to visit and try the fruits he raised. Word went far and wide of his fruits that tasted sweet and pleasant like no other. Before long he was helping other people from other villages plant this rare tree.

20 years later, when the old man was barely walking and had a hard time getting around, they walked to a hill overlooking the forest the field had become. It felt like it was going to be one of their last meetings. They talked about many things including what the farmer had accomplished. The mistakes he had made, and overcome, the loss he had faced, and overcome. He was now a wealthy man and had another family. He had named the farm, ‘Rebecca Blooms’, after his first Rebecca, who had come back to smile at him.

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Despite the losses you face in life and despite their magnitude, there is always the opportunity to find renewed meaning and do a wonderful thing that impacts many lives positively. Never give up. Look to habits that will not destroy but rebuild you. Aim to make a difference and strive for excellence. Time will eventually heal you as it rebuilds you. 

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