A friend of mine recalled a story I had told her that I had almost completely forgot about. A few years ago I met my someone for lunch in a park. We spent our lunch hour together and then headed back to our respective workplaces. When I got back to work I noticed an ant had hitchhiked with me on my lunch utensils. I was on the fifth floor of the building and I did not want to kill the ant. I also knew that it was not a simple matter of just releasing him into the wild. He would not survive if he could not get back to his colony a couple of kilometers away. So I packed my ant into one of my lunch containers and he spent the afternoon with me at work. When I was finished for my day, my ant and I hopped back on my motorcycle and returned to the park where my lunch date had taken place. I found the exact spot where I had eaten and I released the ant into his home habitat. I remember the day very well now that I was reminded of it and it makes me smile and lifts my spirit.
When it comes to positivity and happiness, karma generated by an act like that is gold to someone like me. But if the act fades into obscurity, the value to me is greatly diminished. Sure the ant still benefitted from the situation but my benefit was almost gone until my friend reminded me of the incident.
Mindfulness allows one to reflect before reacting and make positive choices. It is so easy to make the correct choice and then forget about the value of the decision when the stress of life gets in the way. Journaling is a fantastic tool that allows one to draw positivity from past experiences to retune perspective and reset attitude.
“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue” - Buddha (563 BC - 483 BC)
1 comment:
That ant had no idea he would have a motorcycle ride! The envy of all his colony!
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