He sleeps in a storm

The longer I live and observe human intricacies, I have decided that it all really boils down to relationships. How we develop our relationships with people and how we not only treat people, but teach them to treat us, is really the fiber that makes the Earth spin on its axis.

Last night, while reading the book Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie, I came across a story that spells out the essence of why maintaining relationships is just as important as paying our bills and tending to our car maintenance and keeping up yard work. In the book, Albom spends time with Albert Lewis, the rabbi of his youth. He fills the pages with observations from the rabbi’s walk in life and interactions with others. The following excerpt comes from a 1975 sermon by Lewis:

“A man seeks employment on a farm. He hands his letter of recommendation to his new employer. It reads simply, ‘He sleeps in a storm.’

“The owner is desperate for help, so he hires the man.
“Several weeks pass, and suddenly, in the middle of the night, a powerful storm rips through the valley.

“Awakened by the swirling rain and howling wind, the owner leaps out of bed. He calls for his new hired hand, but the man is sleeping soundly.

“So he dashes off to the barn. He sees, to his amazement, that the animals are secure with plenty of feed.

“He runs out to the field. He sees the bales of wheat have been bound and are wrapped in tarpaulins.

“He races to the silo. The doors are latched, and the grain is dry.
“And then he understands. ‘He sleeps in a storm.’

“My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of ‘I could have, I should have.’ We can sleep in a storm.

“And when it’s time, our good-byes will be complete.”

These words struck me as profound just as I was about to settle into sleep, ironically with a storm underway. Clean input produces clean output. When we settle our hearts into loving and respectful thoughts toward the people whose walks touch ours, then our words will not offend, nor will our actions cause hurt.

This morning as I stopped to turn left out of my sleepy neighborhood, the driver behind me seemed to have strong opinions on whether I hesitated too long and gave up the opportunity to turn, thus causing him to wait. He pulled his car aggressively toward my bumper and flew his hands all over the driver’s side of his car. I am sure he was not batting at me, but a fly must have flitted in front of him. While there are days that my inclination is to pull out my nail file and take care of repair work while he waits, today, I decided he had his reasons for the impatient posturing. I do not know the stress in his life, so I shirked the temptation to further his distress by delaying the process, and safely pulled my car out into the road.

I will leave the way he rode my bumper to the next intersection for another day, and felt thankful he had not used up my daily allotment of calm.

In the serious cases, where people say things that are hurtful, or cause true distress with their actions, I hope I can keep myself focused inwardly in a positive and graceful manner so that, in the words of Lewis, through Albom, “our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight.”

When the storms roll in, I like to be able to sleep.