This is the meditation for a day last week that I had read in a piece, Comfortable With Uncertainty by Pema Chodron. It is a nice work that I have been reading daily. Although I’ve read this particular story before in other contexts and with a different gender applied, this time it really meant something to me, and I wanted to share it.
“Experience Your Life”
… from Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chodron
“A woman is running from tigers. She runs and runs, and the tigers are getting closer and closer. She comes to the edge of a cliff. She sees a vine there, so she climbs down and holds on to it. Then she looks down and sees that there are tigers below her as well. At the same time, she notices a little mouse gnawing away at the vine to which she is clinging. She also sees a beautiful little bunch of strawberries emerging from a nearby clump of grass. She looks up, she looks down, and she looks at the mouse. Then she picks a strawberry, pops it in her mouth, and enjoys it thoroughly.
Tigers above, tigers below. This is the predicament we are always in. We are born and sooner of later we die. Each moment is just what it is. Resentment, bitterness, and holding a grudge prevent us from seeing and hearing and tasting and delighting. This might be the only moment of our life, this might be the only strawberry we’ll ever eat. We could feel depressed about this or we could finally appreciate it. We could delight in the preciousness of every single moment.”
I think that living in such a manner would solve so many of our sufferings. I pray for the hearts and minds of people. May they know that each moment is precious and worthy of the divine in our lives.
Peace,
Matt
Matt's Notes 