Play the One String

From the Brady Tarot, the Ten of Horns (Cups); from the African American Wisdom Knowledge Cards, 'James Earl Jones:'

          A person usually hears the rattling call of a belted kingfisher before this bird is spotted. The kingfisher sits atop a wire or branch and watches the water below. Once a fish or other aquatic animal is spotted, the bird makes an astonishing dive into the water after it. Their diving action is a good analogy for not waiting around for life to fulfill us. It fits the advice children are often given: "If you want a friend, be a friend." The objects below the rainbow are Hupa carved antler spoons. The booklet suggests that the different spoons represent the different parts of our life that happiness comes from, rather than one specific person or thing. James Earl Jones has one of the most well-known and beloved voices in the acting world. Who would have dreamed that he began life with a pronounced stutter? Although it took several years, he overcame his impediment through poetry, public speaking, and acting. The message of these cards brings to mind the words of Charles Swindoll:

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.