Giving Away the Orchard

An old farmer was feeling very ill, so he visited the town doctor.  After his examination, the doctor informed the farmer that he had only a few more weeks to live. Time had finally caught up to the old man, and his body had worn down.

The farmer owned several acres of land and had maintained a cherry orchard for decades. He decided to give away some of his earthly belongings before he passed on. He hung this sign on a fence post next to his orchard: I WILL GIVE THIS FARM TO ANYONE WHO IS TRULY SATISFIED.

Of course word spread quickly, and people came from miles around, all hoping to convince the farmer they were truly satisfied. Each one went into the farmer's home, had a private chat, and then left, empty-handed. This went on for several days. Apparently, no one was able to convince the farmer they were truly satisfied with their lives.

One day a wealthy businessman was riding by. He read the sign and said to himself, "Since our friend the farmer is so eager to part with this orchard, I might as well claim it before someone else does. I am a rich man. I have more than anyone, so I certainly qualify as being satisfied."

With that, he went up to the door and explained what he was there for.

"Are you truly satisfied?" asked the old farmer.

"I am indeed, for I have everything in my life I could want, including a large home, several businesses, a beautiful wife, and more money than anyone in town."

"Friend," said the farmer, "if you are truly satisfied, why do you want my farm?"

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This story is about our idea of satisfaction. It's a clue to help us find true satisfaction within ourselves, not just the temporary happiness that comes from material things or whatever satisfies our egos at the moment. 

How does anyone know when they're truly satisfied though?  The businessman thought he was, but with just a single question he was shown to be wrong. The farmer's offer is trickier than it seems...

The gift in our story is a free cherry orchard, but can a new car, a big raise, or free land bring us satisfaction?  Those things can certainly bring happiness, temporary happiness, but that is not the same as satisfaction, though it certainly is easy to confuse the two.

We often see people with great wealth that are caught breaking laws in order to acquire even more.  Remember all of the times you've heard of a person that was wealthy and famous, yet they seemed miserable in their lives. Those people obviously were not satisfied, or they wouldn't have continued to try and acquire even more of what their egos desired.  

True satisfaction cannot be found in anything external. True satisfaction is always inside of us. We carry it with us everywhere we go.

The problem is finding it.

Enjoy the ride. 

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