The happy monkey - Short story - on letting go!
There once was a
happy monkey wandering the jungle, eating delicious fruit when hungry, and
resting when tired. One day he came upon a house, where he saw a bowl of the
most beautiful apples. He took one in each hand and ran back into the forest.
He sniffed the apples and smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but hurt his
teeth. They were made of wood, but they were beautiful, and when the other
monkeys saw them, he held onto them even tighter. He admired his new
possessions proudly as he wandered the jungle. They glistened red in the sun,
and seemed perfect to him.
He became so attached to them, that he didn't even
notice his hunger at first. A fruit tree reminded him, but he felt the apples
in his hands. He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for the fruit. In
fact, he couldn't relax, either, if he was to defend his apples. A proud, but
less happy monkey continued to walk along the forest trails. The apples became
heavier, and the poor little monkey thought about leaving them behind. He was
tired, hungry, and he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with his hands
full. What if he just let go?
Letting go of such valuable things seemed
crazy, but what else could he do? He was so tired. Seeing the next fruit tree,
and smelling it's fruit was enough. He dropped the wooden apples and reached up
for his meal. He was happy again.
Like that little monkey, we
sometimes carry things that seem too valuable to let go. We carry an image of
self like the shiny wooden apple. But in reality, our engrossment leaves us
exhausted, worried and hungry for a better life. Still, letting go seems crazy.
Sisyphus syndrome...? You will find that it is necessary to let things
go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. It
takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it. You must learn
to let go. Release the stress. Unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself ,
you cannot move forward.
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