Letting go

One of my favorite stories is a stock Buddhist tale:

two monks are walking back to the monastery together. as they come to a corner, they see a woman in lavish dress who is unable to cross the street because of a large puddle. one of the monks, seeing her distress, picks her up and carries her to the other side, where she thanks him profusely. but the other monk is visibly upset. they continue walking, and once they reach the monastery the other monk, having grown more angry all the while, finally sputters out, "what you did back there was against our laws to never touch a woman. how dare you." but the monk who helped the woman across the street says, "Yes; but I left her on the corner. You've been carrying her the whole time."

I like this story because I need its lesson: to let go, to leave it there where it was, to quit carrying it around -- letting it weigh me down.

So I let go of the things that are back there, not here. Like the interview I had this week. I've been carrying it, going over its details, questioning my own perceptions. No more. I'm done. I did my duty and I'm leaving it there on the corner.

Um. Until I find something else to obsess about....