365 rules to live by 11/4/15

Everyday for the next year I will be posting a new Inspirational Rule to consider living by. I hope you enjoy.
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Rule #21 11/4/15

It is OK to receive help. 

Most of us go about our lives thinking that help comes with strings attached. We allow our pride and ego to say no to the many blessings that are always trying to come our way. We feel bad and guilty about accepting the much needed help. 

We cannot do this alone and that is a great thing. Helping others and allowing others to help us, is a direct way of bridging the gap to ensure we all succeed. Life is not meant to be lived in isolation. While it is important to have some alone time this does not mean our lives should be lived in solitary confinement. Even when we are out in the woods we share a space with the trees and all the living creatures. Everything coexists harmoniously and so too should our lives and the lives of others. 

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The Allegory of Spoon (Author Unknown)

A man once asked God to shed some light on the mystery of heaven and hell. God said, “Why not? First I’ll show you hell.”

The man suddenly found himself in an elegant, well-lit dining room. Many people were seated around a table set with a mouthwatering feast. The man thought God had made a mistake. He must have meant to say this was heaven, not hell. Where was the fire and the tortured cries of the condemned? Surely hell would not resemble a five star restaurant. Then he noticed that, in spite of the abundance of food, everyone in attendance suffered from desperate hunger. Their pale skin hung on protruding bones like wet tissue paper. Eyes receded into their sockets, clouded with the faraway look of prolonged agony. The man turned to God with a confused expression on his face.

“Keep looking,” was all the Creator said.

Each person held a spoon with a handle long enough to reach any of the fabulous dishes spread out before them. However, since the handle was longer than their arms, they were unable to reach their mouths with any of the food. Now the man understood: People in hell were doomed to starve in the tormenting presence of enough food to last forever. 

“Now I’ll show you heaven,” God said.

Upon arriving there, the man was more confused than ever, for he stood in a dining room that was identical to the one he’d just left behind in hell. The table was spread with the same food, fine crystal, and silver—and everyone held the same long-handled spoons. Yet, one detail was strikingly different: Here, each person was well-fed. Their faces were radiant with health and happiness. These individuals chose to feed each other since they could not feed themselves. Whereas hell had been draped with an atmosphere of despair, heaven was full of lively laughter and conversation.

“I don’t understand,” the man said to God. “How can heaven and hell be the same and yet so different?”
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“Simple,” God said. “It isn’t the length of the spoon that matters, but how one chooses to use it. 

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"You see, in order to help ourselves we must first help another and in doing so we create a space of success and growth for everyone involved. Give of yourself in the most innocent and genuine way. Give of yourself freely. Free from expectation and reward."  ~Will "Story" Rivera ​