We’re all familiar with the fairytale of “Jack and the Beanstalk.” The expression of being an ostrich with their head in the sand is also well-known. Here’s my own cautionary version of the two. Don’t be Jack, the Giant, or the ostrich. Jack has the advantage of seeing life from above and below the clouds but is a thief. The Giant always has his head in the clouds, making him ambivalent about what occurs on the ground. The ostrich is scared to lift its head out of the ground and chooses to remain forever ignorant about its importance or place in the world.
The Beanstalk has it figured out. Being true to its nature, the Beanstalk grows up towards the clouds and shoots its roots out through the ground. Not only is the Beanstalk aware of what happens all around, but it offers Jack and the Giant the ability to do the same. Jack and the Giant could reap the benefits of the beans the Beanstalk produces. They could also climb up or descend down had they wanted to check out another vantage point. Jack never had to steal, and the Giant never had to squander. Had the ostrich not been so paralyzed by fear, it could have offered its eggs to Jack and the poor golden goose would have been left alone.
Don’t be like Jack, the Giant, or the ostrich. Take a lesson from the Beanstalk. Stand tall. Be yourself. Do what you are good at. Share what you have. Use your strength to elevate others. Spread your goodness out into the world. While you’re at it, tickle the nose of the ostrich. Maybe the silly bird will see that hiding from the world and what it doesn’t want to see isn’t worth staring at the dirt forever.
