A wise woman was traveling in the mountains. As she crossed a stream, she looked down and found a precious stone. She picked it up and tucked it away in her bag. The following day, the wise woman met another hungry traveler. When she opened her bag to share her food, the hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later, he returned to give the stone back to the wise woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious.”
“What could that possibly be?” asked the wise woman.
“Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone,” the hungry man replied.
***
I have heard many versions of this beautiful Zen story, and there are so many lessons to learn from this one simple tale. I interpret the river to be symbolic of the journey of life, and the precious stones to be the people in my life. We find many precious stones during this journey. They may not look precious. They may seem to be plain old pebbles. But if we look closely – if we pay attention and take the time to pick up the stones and shine them, and look after them – we can see that they are precious beyond all measure. But they do not belong to us. We just look after them for a while. They come and go as life takes all kinds of twists and turns. All we can do is enjoy the beauty when it is in our hands and in our lives, and let it go when the time comes to do so. These are moments of grace. Moments of gratitude. As we focus on them, we manifest more of the same.
In this month of thanksgiving, I want to give thanks for the precious stones that I have been honored to hold in my arms and in my life: my steadfast family, my incredible friends, my astonishing colleagues, and my amazing clients. Oftentimes, these precious stones stay with me for months or years, but always, the time spent seems fleeting. They are the greatest and most humble teachers, the most inspiring and heart-warming support.
My wish for you this season is that you hold the precious stones in your life close. You never know when the time will come when you must let them go.
Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times; during those times, you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings. ~ Author Unknown
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I wrote this blog 7 years ago, a month before I found out I had cancer in my face, and before all the reconstructive surgeries that followed. I am convinced this practice helped me heal and it is now a part of my spiritual and healing discipline. I encourage all of you to simply take your shoes off and walk barefoot on grass, dirt, a beach, and Mother Earth.
Our shoes distort our bodies’ feelings and function and also disconnect us from the earth. We don’t think about this, working in our offices behind non-opening windows, perched high above the earth on steel encased in concrete. We sleep and move in climate-controlled homes and vehicles where we have to look at an instrument to know the temperature outside. Our lifestyle is more like life in submarines or spaceships than on Mother Nature, it seems. Conversely, there’s something primal, damp, sensual, and connective about walking on the earth. Something of mystery. This is the thing I love about it: it redirects my abstract concerns. It plugs my attention into something much greater and more live-giving than the ridiculous flock of worries my mind generates.