Once upon a time, there was a fellow that looked up to his older brother in all things.  The older brother had always watched over his younger sibling and protected him as much as possible.

It began to rain during the Spring in the town where the two brothers lived.  The downpour continued and intensified, bringing rising water and flooding across the area.  Bob, the younger brother, was home as water began to rise inside.  It rose to such a height that he climbed the stairs to the dry safety of the second floor.

However, this was a flood the likes of which had never been seen before and as the rain continued, the river escaped its banks and the water rose even faster.  Bob wished his brother was there; he always knew what to do.  Soon, the water infringed upon Bob’s space, forcing him out a window and onto the roof.

As the water relentlessly rose all around him, a neighbor in a small boat motored to Bob’s location.  “Hey, Bob”, came the friend’s call.  “Come get in my boat and I’ll take you to safety”.  “No, thanks”, answered Bob, “my brother will be here in a minute to get me”.  Having limited space in the boat and many others to help, the neighbor pulled away.

As the rains persisted, Bob was forced by the encroaching waters to climb to the crest of the roof.  Due to the severity of the crisis, the National Guard was on rescue duty, flying a helicopter to the aide of those in distress.  The pilot spotted Bob and maneuvered the chopper directly over his house.  A crewman dropped a ladder.

“Sir, grab the ladder and climb up a bit and we will help you to safety”, offered the airman.  “I appreciate it”, said Bob at the top of this lungs, “but, my older brother has never let me down and he will be here to save me any moment”.  “Sir, you don’t have many more moments, please grab the ladder!”  Bob refused and the Guard moved on to help the more willing.

Bob’s big brother didn’t come. Bob drowned.

The moral of this story is clear.  Be flexible and change as things change around you.  We humans tend to get things stuck in our heads.  We imagine our future, cement our plans and many times, miss the the only boat that comes our way, waiting for the one we envision.

In the small housing development where we live there is a common area of open space covered in thriving vegetation and trees.  A stepping stone path winds up a hill there to a lofty observation point.  Off to the side, I spotted the trees you see in the picture above.

Trees are “meant” to grow straight toward the Sun.  One of these, however, was forced into a turn for the worse.  Heading in the wrong direction, somehow, an opportunity opened … Sun beckoned.

Seize your opportunities, even if they do not look like what you planned.  Change yourself when life bends in a direction unfamiliar to you.  Simply take what you are given.