The sun sets on another day…
As the day passes into night there will be a sunset, then the day is gone. There is nothing we can do to change it, no way to get it back. The colors of the sunset will be gone and no sunset will ever be exactly like tonight’s, ever. For all the positives and negatives of the day there are no ways of making them better or worse, only the memory of what happened,and perhaps that too will fade over time.
I read a story today that was as follows:
A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her cross to the other side.
The two monks glanced at one another because they had taken vows not to touch a woman. Then, without a word, the older monk picked up the woman, carried her across the river, placed her gently on the other side, and carried on his journey.
The younger monk couldn’t believe what had just happened. After rejoining his companion, he was speechless, and an hour passed without a word between them. Two more hours passed, then three, finally the younger monk could contain himself any longer, and blurted out “As monks, we are not permitted a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?”
The older monk looked at him and replied, “Brother, I set her down on the other side of the river, why are you still carrying her?”
When I read it I was more than impressed because it says far more than meets the eye. First and foremost sometimes doing what is right is better than doing what we think is righteous. We also see here that sometimes we have to question our values and make a good decision for the good of others. Perhaps another thought would be that the best way to be would be to sacrifice for the better of someone else. All good thoughts.
For me it is most important to look at the clear lesson, maybe it is better to sometimes let things go, to move on, and not to carry that tremendous baggage we can sometimes weigh us down. I have had numerous difficult items in my life that I disagreed with myself at the time, disagreed later, or was hurt by someone that should not have hurt me. I try each day to let those things go in favor of the promise of a good day, each and every day. Even in the face of devastation, keep a positive attitude and let those people and things that let you down go, no matter what.
So as the sun sets on another day, consider that the past is always the past, and if you do the best you can never let the worst be an issue. Just let it go.
Sleep sweet, dream well, and love life each and every day….