Prince or Turkey?

 

We all have two sides to us, the Prince (or Princess) and the Turkey. The Prince is the part in each and every one of us that knows the right thing to do and how to make the right choices. The turkey part of us doesn’t want to work hard and wants to do things that are easy even if it’s not the best for us.

 

Sometimes it’s hard to make the right decisions.  Every day, we need to make choices weather to listen to the prince inside us, or the turkey.  To make the right decisions, we need a bit of help from our rabbis, our parents, and our teachers – the “wise men” in our lives – to remind us to make the princely choices.

 

As a little Chanukka gift from all of us here at BreslovWorld,  I have made you a chart (see below) so you can keep track of your “prince” choices. It’s important to reflect on your day and notice what you were capable of accomplishing. Thank Hashem and celebrate your successes!  Tell Mom or Dad to click on the chart and save it in your computer, and then to print it out and hang it in your bedroom.

 

I have highlighted just a few ideas about the story based on Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum’s book Under the Table & How to Get Up – Jewish Pathways of Spiritual Growth. To go a little deeper, pick up a copy of your own. It’s Amazing!

 

First, to cure the Prince, the Wise Man stopped everything else he may have been doing and made the necessary time. One of the most important parts of the whole cure was to get to know the Prince intimately and establish a good relationship with him. This could only be achieved by sitting with him patiently for lengthy periods without being in any hurry to get up. (Try this week to give each of your children 10 minutes a day of your undivided attention. Help them reflect on their day – and help them celebrate their accomplishments)

 

Second, when thinking about the various problems you face, remember that they must have good in them somewhere. God has the power to turn everything around to your advantage. While it is foolish to minimize genuine difficulties, you should try to search for the positive factors as well. If things go against you, or your efforts seem to be frustrated, don’t be discouraged. If what you want is God’s will, failure is only a preparation for success:  take it as a sign that you should make greater efforts. And if, after all your efforts, you still do not succeed, have faith that whatever God wants will ultimately be for the best.

 

Third, the Wise Man has patience. Since he is sure God is good and constantly helping, the Wise Man does not insist on having things exactly the way he might want them to be. He is content to accept things the way God wants them to be. Right now the Prince is thinking and acting like a Turkey. Okay, that’s the way it is. Moaning about the situation, or wishing it were different, won’t help. The question is:  What practical steps can be taken to bring the situation nearer to the way we would like it to be? What you can change, change. What you cannot, live with as best you can, until such time as you can do something about it. People often feel that if they cannot achieve everything they want, it is not worth trying to achieve anything. This is a mistake. Things do not have to be "all or nothing." The Wise Man is prepared to live with imperfection even while striving to make progress. Things can be "both… and…" "You can wear a shirt and still be a Turkey." "You can wear pants and still be a Turkey." "You can eat good food and still be a Turkey."