Look Up

Here’s a little Zen story for you.  A monk leaves his home on the hill for a trip, and upon his return, the roof of his house is gone, blown away by the wind.  His neighbors wait anxiously for his reaction, sure that he will be devastated.  “Ah,” says the monk.  “That roof has been blocking out the skies.  Now I will have such a lovely view of the stars.”

Devastating things happen.  Tornados and floods come to mind today.  When visited by such disasters, we have to make a choice:  Become part of the disaster, or be apart from the disaster.  All the usual human emotions of grief and fear will come up, and these cannot be lightly dismissed.  Yet once these feelings are dealt with, remember that all it takes to begin a recovery is to take one step forward.  You may slog through some deep mud for a while, but one day you’ll look up and see the stars.