"Barn's burnt down; now I can see the moon."
--Masahide
I just rediscovered this quote today. Supposedly, I was locating all my tax information, but instead I was procrastinating by perusing my file cabinets for anything more interesting than said documents. I came upon a draft of my masters' thesis and scrawled on the front page of the draft was the quote above. I had forgotten that there was a time in my life that this passage was my daily mantra.
"The barn has burnt down..." Clearly, things do not always go how we envision in life. In fact, sometimes it seems as the universe is being a bit relentless. Often, we try a new tack and if that doesn't work we regroup and give it another shot. And still, it can feel as if we are getting nowhere quickly. There is great value in acknowledging this struggle. Sometimes, in our earnest desire to hurdle that which challenges us, we can forget to admit that there is indeed a struggle we are facing.
By acknowledging our challenge, we are able to see it for what it is and not for what we might imagine it to be. And in doing so, we are able to take a breath and re-evaluate the situation. When we let our eagerness to solve the problem slide a bit, our sense of urgency (often our ego) abates and allows us a bit more space to envision a viable solution.
"Now, I can see the moon..." As we take this necessary space that comes as a result of validating our own struggle, sometimes it becomes clear what needs to be gained from the experience. Many times, I have been cursing a wall that has gotten in the way of what I was trying to accomplish only to express my gratitude in hindsight that I was forced to switch directions.
How do we know something is a misfortune until we see where we have been led? It can be easy to jump to conclusions of failure or wasted energy. We are masters at judging ourselves for what we think should have been. Yet, what if instead, we are wise listeners, accepting and acknowledging that the barn has burnt down and make space in our lives for the moon to shine its new light upon us?
