Finding Love - Part Four: Gratitude and the Heavy Luggage
Part 4 — Gratitude and the Heavy Luggage
As he walked through the nights that married the days,
with the dawns and the dusks on their shoulders,
he sensed a feeling of gratitude growing within him.
Walking through the rough, yet by the kind and shy sun
he had decided, and became determined,
on cultivating this energy of gratitude further within him.
Father Sun raised his rays onto the meadows,
the darker forests, the little creeks,
and the vast valleys he walked —
with Father Sun bringing non-fear
and while he cultivated gratitude
to the multitude of conditions he’s been walking through.
He walked, and on the way he began to realize
that his luggage has been weighing him down —
dragging him more and heavier has it been
with the more time he has spent on the road.
And time — how he spent much on the roads.
Every road he walked on,
he took a memory from his memories
that linger and last.
He took one of them and walked with it.
He walked with it, stayed with it,
and felt its weight on him.
He cried with it,
and his tears watered the drought of Mother Earth.
He cried the mothers of all cries,
the fathers of all cries —
he cried till he had no tears left,
till his body became weak,
till his heart no longer beared crying,
till he could finally stop walking.
He stopped just for a while,
because his body collapsed —
out of grief, out of loss,
out of this deep memory of sadness
that came out of that memory.
He stopped just for a while.
Enjoy my other reads:
Stop Blaming Your Parents: Turning Mindfulness into Self‑Responsibility. On this link.
Living in Peace: How to Find Inner Peace in this World? On this link.
How to Transform Self-Sabotage with Mindfulness and Love? On this link.
Emotional Identity and Pain: Who Are You Without the Struggle? On this link.
External Resources:
Zen & Engaged Buddhism:
Finding Love - Part Three: The Walking and the Moon
Part 3 — The Walking and the Moon
He walked his road, with his luggage.
He walked with his backpack, heavy on a winter eve,
with his suitcase dark on that same winter eve,
and his side bag that held all his wishes, hopes, worries, desires, and past.
He walked terrified of what lay for him in the next turn —
of what lurks beneath his feet,
of his own breath,
of his own thoughts,
of life itself —
that life that has led him places and took him away from them.
He walks alone.
Lonely.
Terrified.
He walks because he had to walk — he must.
He has no place to go.
Very little he has he achieved in the past — or he thinks to himself.
No silver lining, no horizon to walk towards —
just him on his road, wide enough to share
but none there to share it with.
The moon, she shone upon his nights
in these winter times that even the trees slept during —
the flowers snoozed, and the shrubs and bushes took some time off —
but him, he couldn’t, he wouldn’t, he mightn’t.
He had to breathe even involuntarily —
he had to breathe,
even in the darkest days and nights,
even when the air became too thin, too heavy, too enormous —
he had to breathe.
The moon was his only counsel.
She led the way during these dark nights
and made space for the sun during the cold and frosty day times.
She shone not only onto his road but also onto his bravery —
onto his mighty existence,
onto his willingness to keep walking,
to keep moving even after all the loss,
all the sadness,
the suffering,
loneliness,
and despair.
She shone onto him.
It was personal,
it was intentional,
and it was lovely.
Enjoy my other reads:
Stop Blaming Your Parents: Turning Mindfulness into Self‑Responsibility. On this link.
Living in Peace: How to Find Inner Peace in this World? On this link.
How to Transform Self-Sabotage with Mindfulness and Love? On this link.
Emotional Identity and Pain: Who Are You Without the Struggle? On this link.
External Resources:
Zen & Engaged Buddhism:
Finding Love - Part Two: The Valley
Part 2 — The Valley
…He reached a valley — valley of abundant love.
In that valley lived a man who has also been seeking out he.
As he entered the valley, he took permission to dwell there.
The abundance of love & warmth and of equanimity embraced him.
The man embraced him and welcomed him in his abundant valley.
They dwelled happily for a few years.
Yet, the valley diminished in its abundance gradually and slowly.
The valley, exploited by these two men, had her wells drying up,
her skies turning grim, and her trees going into long and everlasting sleep.
Yet, they still held onto the love they gained from the valley
and decided to revive the love in her.
With time, both men had tired out of love,
and the valley could not be revived.
Their love had diminished to no return.
Their joy had walked away from them,
and they were left with sorrow, hurt, and heartbreak.
He left the valley with tears in his heart —
with sorrow and regret,
with pure love left behind in the man and in the valley.
He left and was reunited yet and again
with the people who left him,
or were left by him, all these years
during his time on the path.
He walked alone again —
his time in the diminished love,
all alone with not even love to share
on the course of him along the road.
He walked sad, defeated, beaten,
and destroyed by his road that led him to that valley.
Enjoy my other reads:
Stop Blaming Your Parents: Turning Mindfulness into Self‑Responsibility. On this link.
Living in Peace: How to Find Inner Peace in this World? On this link.
How to Transform Self-Sabotage with Mindfulness and Love? On this link.
Emotional Identity and Pain: Who Are You Without the Struggle? On this link.
External Resources:
Zen & Engaged Buddhism:
Finding Love - Part One: The Road
Part 1 — The Road
As he walked the road, he found all that life could offer.
He found the fruits of all the trees, the animals of all of nature,
the drinks of all that grapes, barley, and the botanicals had to offer.
He found down that road sunshine and blue skies, warmth and livelihood,
joy and excitement; he found love.
He found the feeling of love on that road.
He found the sensation of love; he found love in its entirety
the early signs of love, the smiles, the comfort in one’s self,
the resting in the present moment.
He found the warmth of the sunshine after the early morning mist
in love itself.
He found on that road the nourishment of love.
He walked it through love and carried love with him & in him,
along the line.
As he carried on with his road, he encountered humans,
and each encounter, he gave them a little of that love.
It took different shapes and forms; it mutated, adjusted,
and it became lessons for those he encountered —
all from a place of love and in the name of love.
Yet, he never understood contribution to their lives
and kept on losing people.
He, on that road, started blaming himself —
he should do better, be better, connect better, engage better —
and he continued his journey on that road with love in his heart.
He walked a lonely road, the road that many people of his kind knew.
He walked on this lonely road with love onboard the journey,
in his heart, in his being, and luminously from his spirit.
Every phase of the road which he crosses — new people met,
and new people lost along the road.
He’s seen the trees fruit, blossom, by shorten & decay,
the seasons change over and again, the humans shift and change —
he’s lost so many along the way, so many to count.
And he marched on through the thought of nothing was present in him.
But nonetheless, he marched on.
He reached a valley — valley of abundant love — and in that valley…
Enjoy my other reads:
Stop Blaming Your Parents: Turning Mindfulness into Self‑Responsibility. On this link.
Living in Peace: How to Find Inner Peace in this World? On this link.
How to Transform Self-Sabotage with Mindfulness and Love? On this link.
Emotional Identity and Pain: Who Are You Without the Struggle? On this link.
External Resources:
Zen & Engaged Buddhism: