Whichever One I Feed

“A Native American grandfather talking to his young grandson tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other wolf is fear, greed and hatred. “Which wolf will win, grandfather?” asks the young boy. “Whichever one I feed,” is the reply.”

Dobri Dobrev is a 98 year old man who lives in Bulgaria near the city of Sofia.  He spends each day begging in the streets of Sofia collecting money in a cup.  To most he seems to be just a simple beggar but to those that take a moment to drop a coin in his cup and share a word, he becomes so much more.   It’s said that as he greets you with kind eyes, humility and a smile you realize that there is a much deeper calling in this man’s heart when it comes to serving others than in most people.  Elder Dobrev is not begging to serve his own needs.  All of the money that he raises, over $59,000 to date, is given by him to restore decaying Bulgarian monasteries and churches and paying the utility bills of orphanages.  For his own sustenance he uses his 80 euro/month pension. (approx. $110).  Dobri says, “Man has always two wills in himself in every moment of his life, the will to do good and the will to do evil”.

Elder Dobri Dobrev chooses to feed the wolf of peace, love and kindness with his acts of begging on behalf of others.  Today I will put a reminder at eye level on my desk that reminds me each day to try to do the same.