Too Many Pigs

One of my favorite childhood stories is about a man who paid too many pigs for his wife. As I recall, it goes something like this a young woman grew up in a small village, her sisters were talented, and beautiful they were worth at least two pigs each. But the woman was not considered beautiful and growing up her brother's and father would joke that one day they would have to pay a man three pigs to take her. The young woman knew that she was not worth very much and when suitors came to speak with her sisters she would hide herself away because she knew, she had always been told, that she was not worth any pigs and to show herself while her sisters were being courted would certainly destroy their chances of marriage and hurt her father's farm as they needed the extra swine.

Her only hope was that one day someone might come along and take her off her father's hands for free, that he might not be burdened with her, nor have to give way some of the pigs her sister earned. She watched as her oldest sisters suitors offered 3 pigs for her, a very high price in the small village, and her father was pleased. Her father told her to hope that her second sister also got such a high price for he would need extra pigs to pay for someone to take her as well. She helped in the barn and stayed hidden when suitors came for her sister. Then one day a man from a different village came along with 12 pigs. Her brothers and father were ecstatic. They called out, look what someone has come to offer for your sister. But, when the man approached, he asked not for her sister, but for her. Her father was confused and did not call the girl out because he did not want the suitors to see her, rather he called for the sister. But the man said, no, I am here for her and he asked the woman to step out as he had brought the 12 pigs for her. The father rushed back and tried to comb her hair and straighten her skirt because surely the man would see that he has made a mistake. The woman stepped out and the man said, yes, I would like to buy her and the father immediately agreed but told the man he had brought too many pigs for in the village 12 was at least 3x the highest you would ever pay. The man insisted, he would pay 12 pigs. The father felt this was far too much and offered the man to pay only 3, same as her sister. But, the man said “no, she is worth 12 pigs and i will pay what she is worth.” And he took the young woman's hand and they went off to the mans village.

Many years later a beautiful woman came upon the island and when all the woman saw her coming they raved at her beauty and they said who are you and where have you come from? And she told them her name and it was her that had left the island years ago with a man who paid too many pigs for her. Her took her, and told her she was valuable, he paid what he thought she was worth, and treated her with the same worth, and so she believed it. And when she fully believed she was truly worth something, it shown outward and she became what she could believe.

I always loved that story because this is exactly how my husband made me feel. He came along and made me believe I was valuable, and because he did that I began to see my value. It is a powerful thing to be able to see yourself through someone elses eyes. Especially when they love you more than you believed someone could. And so, with that belief and the love he gave me i grew confident; I began to have many successes and together we built a very beautiful life. One that I cherished, as it turns out, at the cost of my soul.