A Zen Short

This beautiful short is taken from the children's book Zen Shorts which I highly recommend (could make a great Mother's Day present). I love children's books and this has been my favorite as of late. Lisa, my big sis, had me read it and at first I just read it and thought for a second about it but then it just stayed with me and everytime I was "carrying" something I would think of the monk and try to find my zen spot.

This short is dedicated to Rushie "Prom Queen" Coughran since she is the big 27 today!

A Heavy Load
Two traveling monks reached a town where there was a young woman waiting to step out of her sedan chair. The rain made deep puddles and she couldn't step across without spoiling her silken robes. She stood there, looking very cross and impatient. She was scolding her attendants. They had nowhere to place the packages they held for her, so they couldn't help her across the puddle.

The younger monk noticed the women, said nothing, and walked by. The older monk quickly picked her up and put her on his back, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other side. She didn't thank the older monk, she just shoved him out of the way and departed.

As they continued on their way, the young monk was brooding and preoccupied. After several hours, unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "That woman back there was very selfish and rude, but you picked her up on your back and carried her! Then she didn't even thank you!

"I set the woman down hours ago," the older monk replied. "Why are you still carrying her?"