Words to recover by...

Stop leaving,

and you will arrive.

Stop searching,

and you will see.

Stop running away,

and you will be found.

                                                                       - Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu wrote those things in charcoal on bamboo tablets seven thousand years ago. A Chinese philosopher who was a contemporary of better-known Confucius, Lao Tzu wrote many profound things that are relevant to us today.

Lest we think they are only the meanderings of an ancient philosopher, it seems only human to be on the run in modern life, and we forget that the pace was probably hectic in its own right for people back then. It is true that, running so hard, it is a problem that one often leaves the scene before the miracle happens. We often look so deeply into things that we miss seeing the obvious. And, it's also true that we often run so hard that we cannot find ourselves much less have others find and bond with us.

So, this poem has great meaning for me.

I vow to be more present in order to arrive at my goals, to look less intently at things and accept life as it unfolds, and to stop the frantic running away from being found.

All the best,

Roger W.