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Relax
Oh taste how sweet and tart
Ellen Bass, Relax
the red juice is, how the tiny seeds
crunch between your teeth.
Taste it all. Between life’s falling aparts and back togethers, taste it all. According to a Buddhist tale, tigers will always be in front of us and behind us. We are always holding on to life’s vine that is being gnawed by mice while we dangle over a cliff trying to escape. All this happens and there are always strawberries around us. There are always gifts in the present moment. There are always gifts we must taste and enjoy. There is beauty in embracing the struggle, quieting the mind enough to be present and see the strawberries, releasing one arm from the vine, reaching for the strawberries, and tasting their sweetness.
Equanimity is a word I have heard used when telling the story of the tiger and the strawberry. Equanimity refers to calmness in the face of joy and sorrow. It is our ability to move through ups and downs. It is our ability to begin and end. It is our ability to hold and to let go.
Life is about tasting the strawberries.
About Katie
Born in Louisville. Live in Atlanta. Curious by nature. Researcher by education. Writer by practice. Grateful heart by desire.
Buy the Book!
The Stage Is On Fire, a memoir about hope and change, reasons for voyaging, and dreams burning down can be purchased on Amazon.