Tag: koi

A Mistake? Or, Grace?

There’s a koi pond in the gardens of a local nursery I like to visit. I stopped there yesterday on my way home from work, the weather far too nice to miss the blessing of their company.

I’ve always been fascinated by their movement; graceful even in the murkiest of waters. They seem to ‘know’ me upon my arrival, risking ‘life and fin’ in their passage before a hungry old barn cat standing watch. And, simply for the benefit of our conversation – “Have you stopped to see our Magnolia? Doesn’t she look lovely in that deeper shade of green?”

One of my favorites is a speckled beast the locals call a ‘butterfly koi’. Her fins flow like a silken robe through the water. And, perhaps knowing the magnitude of her effortless beauty, she’ll pause – allowing room for the spectators’ exclaim.

To the more traditional of Koi enthusiasts, she’s a ‘genetic mutt’ – unworthy of such popularity and acclaim.

Though, I’ll never say…

To me, she’ll always be one of the greater wonderments of Spring.

“She’s a failure of cross breeding,” her attendant once shared. “Though, my goodness – isn’t her imperfection just the prettiest of things?”

A little something to consider, my friends…

In peace…

Namaste ❤

The Lesson of the Koi.

My darlings, did you know that Koi fish will only grow to the size of the space afforded to them?

Place them in a small fish bowl, and they’ll never grow beyond a few inches.

Though, amazingly when presented the vastness of a brilliant, blue pond – they’ll easily grow beyond 3 feet in length.

Such a powerful metaphor, don’t you think?

That we are limited only by that which the mind chooses to ‘see’.

The Buddha taught that perception was one of the key components which helped to shape each moment of our experience.

Look around you. What do you see? A pile of unwashed dishes still ‘soaking’ in the sink, or the joy of a family sharing this space of love?

My darlings, there are endless possibilities presented before us each day.

“For things to reveal themselves to us,” shares the venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh. “We need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”

Perhaps, this is the lesson of the Koi, my darlings? That when we let go of thinking mind, we grow.

A little something to consider on this glorious new day…

Namaste, my dearest friends..