It’s Friday! Hopefully you had an easy week but if not I have some inspiration for you… a virtual hug if you will (if I could hug you in real life I would ♥). Below is an old zen tale I heard long ago. It has stayed with me through the years and has inspired me to be in the now and not dwell so much on the past and the future. Whether you kicked ass this week, or barely made it through, take a deep breath and press the reset button. Focus on you and what you can do for yourself right now. All we have is now, start living it for YOU!
The Tigers and the Strawberry
A man was walking through the jungle, when he spotted a tiger. The man immediately fled, but the tiger gave chase. Approaching a cliff, the man saw only one option… A hanging vine. He jumped off of the cliff and grabbed the vine, hanging on for dear life.
The tiger came to the edge of the cliff, snarling.
Just as the man thought he was in the clear, he noticed another tiger prowling below.
And then, if things weren’t difficult enough, the man then saw two mice above him (one black, one white) gnawing away at the vine.
In this state of impending doom, the man looked over his shoulder to the sight of a strawberry patch on a ledge, at arm’s length.
The man reached over, plucked a strawberry and ate it. He never realized just how sweet straw berries could be.
In translation the tiger above is the past, the tiger below is the future, and the mice are the realization that no matter what, the future is eminent. But the strawberry, the strawberry is what your doing right now. Taking time for yourself. Maybe your taking a break from work to read this post, in between doctors appointments, or just laying in your pj’s all morning because your not feeling so hot, like myself, but the point is we cannot put our energy into things we cannot change. Dwelling on the past is something, someplace, I am very familiar with. It has put me in very depressive moods, held me back from doing things, and is bad for my health mentally and physically. It is ok to go over memories in life, whether good or bad, but don’t stay there too long and get lost. It makes it almost impossible to move forward. And as far as the future, that too can be an overwhelming place. Right now I am constantly thinking of the future, with a baby on the way, and just graduating from college, I see my future jammed packed with life, which can also be overwhelming. Have dreams, have goals, push yourself towards fulfillment, but don’t try soo hard that you aren’t living, in this very moment, and experiencing life.
Life is a journey of peaks and valleys. It is not always easy, but if you don’t live for yourself, for today, it will pass you by in an instance….
I wish you all a great weekend! Peace and love.
-k
boldluminescent 