Today I am sharing a passage from one of my favorite books, The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chödrön.
“There is a story of a woman running away from tigers. She runs and runs and the tigers are getting closer and closer. When she comes to the edge of a cliff, she sees some vines there, so she climbs down and holds on to the vines. Looking down, she sees that there are tigers below her as well. She then notices that a mouse is gnawing away at the vine to which she is clinging. She also sees a beautiful little bunch of strawberries close to her, growing out of a clump of grass. She looks up and she looks down. She looks at the mouse. Then she just takes a strawberry, puts it in her mouth, and enjoys it thoroughly. Tigers above, tigers below. This is actually the predicament that we are always in, in terms of our birth and death. Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life; it might be the only strawberry we’ll ever eat. We could get depressed about it, or we could finally appreciate it and delight in the preciousness of every single moment of our life.”
These words are so powerful to me and I often return to them when I am feeling sadness or when I wish I could hide or escape from my current situation. We could all benefit from savoring the sweet "strawberries" that life has to offer, setting us free from the fear we create within ourselves. We may want to escape, but the truth is there will always be tigers above and below us, big and small, and being mindful to what is presently beautiful around you just may deliver a life experienced to the fullest. A life where you appreciate and accept the moments you do have and can share with others.
I hope that you will remember today and everyday to stop and taste life's strawberries (and I'm not just saying that because I'm a dietitian! ; ) )
With this snoozing pup and playful baby in view this morning, I am reminded that life looks pretty sweet.♡
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