Hari OM
Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.
The last weekend of the first month of the year. For many, January is a sort of no-mans-land, where the vestiges of the previous year have to be left appropriately behind and the new year has yet to settle into its routine. The thing about the turning of weeks, months and years is that change happens. It is up to us to keep along with it.
There was a raven who sat upon a post and surveyed the newly-planted garden before her. She was enjoying the spring and warmer weather. There came a great thud, and she flinched at the sound. On the ground before her lay a hummingbird, somewhat dazed and with feathers adrift, but otherwise unharmed. When it had shaken the dirt off and reoriented itself, it began to mutter about buildings getting in the way of its work. The raven was a little surprised. The building had been up for some time now - though perhaps only in the time when the hummingbird had been South for the winter. She asked,
'How could you not see this building as you flew towards it? Were you going so fast you could not see? Is it that you were thinking too much about pretty and luscious blooms and did not have your mind upon the task of flying? So much hurry, so little presence. All you needed to do was see and move. Fly around now to the other side and find your flowers.'
The hummingbird was not impressed and continued to complain. 'What a nerve to put this building up where I always fly. Years I have come by here and straight to the flowers. How could anyone think to block the way so?!'
Raven shook her head. 'You hummingbirds, no thinking. In the time you have stood here complaining, you could have been around and feeding by now.' With that, she took off and went in search of her own meal.'
Are you the hummingbird, in too much of a hurry, focused on the end and not the journey, not willing to allow for change and to adapt to the new? Or are you the raven, who ponders then acts and adjusts to what is available? To lament change is an utter waste of time. To say that it was always done one way and not allow for another way is an arrogance and a shame. Shake off the dirt, reorient, then go with the flow!
