The Missing Piece.
"Once there was a circle that had something missing. A large triangular wedge had been cut out of it. The circle wanted to be whole, with nothing missing, so it went around and around looking for its missing piece. But because it was incomplete, it could only roll very slowly as it rolled throughout the world. But as it rolled slowly, it admired the flowers along the way. It chatted with butterflies. It enjoyed the warm sunshine.
It found lots of pieces, but none of them would fit. Some were too big and some were to small. Some were too square and some too pointy. So it left them by the side of the road and kept on searching. But as it rolled slowly onwards it admired the flowers along the way. It chatted with butterflies. It enjoyed the warm sunshine.
Then one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly. It was so happy. Now it could be whole, with nothing missing. With the replacement piece in place, the now perfect circle could roll along very fast, but too fast to notice the flowers, too fast to talk to the butterflies, too fast to feel the warm sunshine. When it realized how different the world seemed when it rolled along so quickly, the circle stopped, left its newfound piece by the side of the road, and rolled slowly away, looking for its missing piece, admiring the flowers along the way. Chatting with the butterflies and enjoying the warm sunshine."
APPLICATION: In some strange sense, we are more whole when we are incomplete. The individual who has everything is in some ways poor. The "rich" will never know what it feels like to yearn, to hope, to nourich the soul with the dream of something better, to have someone love him/her enough to give the "rich" something priceless of themselves. As the rich young man in the gospel could not understand, there is a wholeness to those who can give themselves away, who can give their time, money and strength to others and not feel diminished in doing so.
By Shel Silverstein, (cited in Connections, 10/97)
