“In the pursuit of acquiring treasures, we lose the one treasure that we truly possess – life. Let us not lose life in the wild pursuit of other things.” – RVM
Some years ago I read a story of an old woman who stood in her night gown on the pavement at 02:00 one morning, staring in stunned disbelief as mighty flames tore into the heavens, separating her entire life into ashes and smoke. She had lost everything. She began to shiver as she thought of all her expensive and priceless belongings that she has devoted her entire life collecting. What else had she done with her life? Nothing! She had spent it collecting all the things that were now roaring into oblivion. Next morning in hospital, all her friends and family came to her bedside to comfort her. Expecting to find her in a terrible state of tears, shock and fear over her loss, they were surprised to find her in the best of spirits, laughing and talking loudly with great excitement – a thing she had never done as long as they had known her. “She has lost her mind,” someone whispered. She had not lost her mind. On the contrary, she had found it.
“I am free!” she exclaimed. “I was trapped in my own prison of precious, priceless belongings. I see it all now. I was wasting my life! My belongings made me bitter, nasty, clingy, fearful and unfriendly. They made me suspicious and kept me from getting close to my loved ones. Now I feel wonderful. I feel so free,” she said. Many of us are living our lives like this woman, we are possessed by our possessions.
Always remember that a flower does not compete with the flower next to it, it just blooms.
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