Becoming the Lake … (01/04/15)
This is simply too GOOD not to share … I won’t wish you all a 2015 completely free from pain — after all, that’s impossible. What I DO wish for you all is a 2015 in which you immerse yourself so deeply in serving & caring for those around you that your pains become but a pinch of salt tossed into the sea.
Peace to ALL … S
“You may encounter defeat, and yet you need not be defeated … You may encounter sorry, and yet you need not be saddened … You may encounter enemies, and yet you need not know anger … You may encounter difficulty, and yet you need not know despair. Indeed, it is necessary for us to stumble upon such challenges, for they are the very moments that allow us to remember who we truly are, how indomitable is our Spirit — how powerful is our Purpose … These are the moments when we remember that we will ride through every storm that meets us, and that we will arrive at our sparkling destiny; indeed, these are the moments when we remember that riding those violent gusts with selfless calm IS our destiny; that caring for others anyway is the reason we are here.” ~ inspired by Maya Angelou
…………………..
An aging master grew tired of his apprentice’s complaints. One morning, he sent him to get some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master told him to mix a handful of salt in a glass of water and then drink it.
“How does it taste?” the master asked … “Bitter,” said the apprentice.
The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, “Now drink from the lake.”
As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked, “How does it taste?” … “Fresh,” remarked the apprentice … “Do you taste the salt?” asked the master … “No,” said the young man. At this the master sat beside this serious young man, and explained softly,
“The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. However, the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”
;