THE ONE YOU FEED
I've been in a mindset where so many of us are being pulled in many directions, what to believe, what is real in this world, what are we accepting without being aware that it lies in front of ever false opinions that are everywhere these days. And how many are feeling the tug as well because of so many views in society?
And this story from a Cherokee legend, my daughter-in-law once shared with me, stayed with me because it felt true in a way that settled deep.
There is a teaching about a grandfather speaking to his grandson.
He tells him,
“There is A fight that goes on inside me between two wolves.
One is fear, resentment, envy, and false pride.
The other is love, compassion, truth, and peace.”
The grandson asks,
“Which wolf will win?”
And the grandfather answers,
“The one you feed.”
But to help you understand how I view this story and how I relate to it. I believe there is a hunger inside the human soul that has nothing to do with food.
It is the hunger to feel safe.
To feel seen.
To feel loved in a way that does not require us to become someone else.
And when that hunger is not met…
We begin feeding whatever is closest.
Sometimes that looks like fear.
Sometimes control.
Sometimes, shutting down, pulling away, or hardening ourselves just enough to survive.
Not because we are broken.
But because we are hungry.
This is where the story becomes something more than a story.
It becomes a mirror.
Because if we are honest…
We can feel both wolves inside us.
The one that reacts.
The one that protects.
The one who remembers pain.
And the one that softens.
The one who loves.
The one who sees clearly.
Both exist.
Sometimes the wolf of fear gets fed because it was the only one that knew how to protect you.
Sometimes resentment was fed because something inside you was never acknowledged.
Sometimes pride stood guard where love was missing.
There is no shame in how you survived.
But there is awareness in how you choose now.
The moment you become aware—truly aware—you begin to see your own patterns.
You feel the shift inside you.
You notice when something tightens instead of softens.
When your thoughts become defensive instead of open.
When your energy resists instead of flows.
That is the moment.
Not to judge yourself…
but to choose.
To gently, consciously, feed something different.
Feeding love doesn’t always feel natural at first.
Especially if you’ve lived a life where love was inconsistent… or misunderstood.
Love can feel vulnerable.
Compassion can feel undeserved.
Truth can feel uncomfortable.
Peace can feel unfamiliar.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t yours.
It means they’ve been waiting.
You don’t have to eliminate the other wolf.
You don’t have to fight it into silence.
You stop feeding it as often.
And over time…
What once felt loud begins to soften.
What once felt dominant begins to fade.
And what once felt distant—love, peace, truth—begins to feel like home.
If you feel restless…
if you feel pulled in different directions…
If you feel something inside you asking for more…
It is not confusion.
It is hunger.
A hunger not asking you to become someone new.
It is asking you to return to what was always within you.
You don’t need to fix everything.
You don’t need to have all the answers.
You only need to notice:
What am I feeding right now?
And if the answer feels heavy…
You don’t punish yourself.
You gently choose again.
Because the truth is—
The wolf that will walk beside you, shape you, and eventually define the peace you feel…
is the one you continue to feed.
And in this world of separation, the pull from what we feel and what society is, the push and pull show themselves in us all.
