Changing Lives through Dancing by David Woodbury
Arthur Murray Santa Monica
Recently I was introduced to this story “the wolf we who wins is the one we feed” and I immediately began reading and studying. “Feeding the two wolves” is a saying from a Cherokee story of two wolves fighting. This wolf who prevails the fight is the one that was fed.
An interpretation is that this is a story of the good and evil that lives within us.
For me, my mind went to the scriptures in Matthew 12 regarding Jesus’ story of a demon who leaves a person, only to return later to find his “house” to be empty, cleaned up and put in order. When the demon returns, he finds the person’s “house” unoccupied and undefended. Instead of simply just moving back in, it brings seven worse demons into the man and his state is far worse than before.
My personal bad wolf in my life is anger and depression. My good wolf is my constant desire to help and serve others and help them grow and live amazing lives. The good goal still burns within me and I look for opportunities to be an inspirational leader and mentor.
In today’s world, especially after the pandemic, I find that offering encouragement, inspiration, and wisdom is not so easily received by others. There is an empty quiet that covid seemed to fill with apathy and doubt and fatigue. This is the bad wolf.
The good wolf is the receiving of positive energy, having a positive outlook in life, and enthusiasm in all daily tasks.
In my life, from the story of Matthew, I have experienced a great of healing in my life. Many times, I feel as if I am the house that is cleaned and swept.
Being 68 and a person of faith, I know that I must fill my own “house” with character, hope, healing, joy, light, life, and healing. I have found that these characteristics of life are just like produce in the refrigerator. If they are not quickly eaten, they will sour and spoil and ruin all the food in the refrigerator, and create a foul smell in the kitchen.
Every had your power go out for a few days? Your food will spoil quickly without the power of electricity and the engineering magic that cools the fridge.
So, let’s merge the stories of the two wolves and the empty house.
For me, I practice this, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. My bad wolf, my demons of anger and depression, I keep them close to me and strongly monitored. I know that they are they are there and they are always wanting to take me over.
My good wolf, I feel him with light, hope, love, joy, patience, living water, and praise. I know that if I keep my good wolf by my side, he will always subdue the darkness around me and fill that empty “house” and make sure that seven more worse evils are not brough back and enter me and I become worse off than before.
This is more than anyone can cover in a single blog. But I do know this, every day I take time to guide my thoughts, I fill my mind with words of life, and that I even plan my sleeping, dreaming, and awakening with powerful words and affirmation of light (praying the Shema) before sleeping and praying this as my first thoughts upon awakening).
There are a lot of wolves out there. There is a lot of noise in the air. I now practice looking up all the time, Psalm 121.1 KJV, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help”. My mother, J. Clair, loved this verse.
Take a moment and take a deep breath and look up.
Be in a safe place, still, not driving, and just gaze above into the heavens, and take a moment to drink in all the joy and mystery of life around you.
I hope this blog gave you some food for thought and sent you some light and energy.
Thanks for reading,
David Woodbury