The Tibetans have a saying;
You will have to stand for a very long time with your mouth wide open before a roasted partridge will fly into it.
It is a rather droll way of expressing high levels of improbability, but nevertheless useful, in reminding us that some things that we may pine and hope for are simply unrealistic. The fact is that we could stand outside forever, with our mouths agape and there is no way in the world that a roasted partridge will ever fly in!
The odds are completely against this ever happening and it is like this also with a lot of things that we may cling very vehemently to as aspirations, hopes, dreams and wishes. This is not to say that we should not have any. It is only to point out that it is wiser to actually get out and take the needed steps that would enable an outcome to eventuate.
We must measure our wishes against our ability to create the causes that will engender the hoped for conditions. When we wait too long, the chances are we may miss out altogether. If you are into roasted partridges it makes more sense to scour the markets.
There is a huge advantage in learning to surrender to life and accept what actually is. Instead of dancing through our days like animated puppets, tossed about here and there, in a relentless cycle of hope and fear, we can simply learn to relax and allow our attention tofully greet exactly what arises before us.
Most of the time, we do the opposite. Our attention is fixed elsewhere, any where, but right here and right now. We need not live our lives as slaves to longings, hopes, desires or fear. We ALWAYS have a choice. We can do ourselves the greatest possible favor and recognize the treasure of the present moment. The present moment deserves our closest attention, gratitude and even devotion. Take the hint and look again more carefully, you will never regret it.
Photo by Ryan McGuire, New York.