There’s a Zen parable about an old man and a swan; a bird so lovely, he placed it within a glass jar upon the highest shelf, and for all the world to see.

The old man cared dearly for the swan; sharing each day, these lessons of life and of love. And, in order that she may one day know the true joy of her own existence.

But, as the swan grew, she soon became too large for the glass jar. Desperate to keep things just as they were, the old man held her there – fearful that the loveliness of his swan might soon be lost. Though, sadly, what he failed to realize was that – who and what we love eventually grows.

Particularly, when tended with such loving-kindness and care.

Because, my darlings, true love can never be contained; like a wildflower it blooms even against the heaviest of rains.

In the end, the only way to truly ‘save’ her was to find courage enough  to shatter that ‘jar.’

It’s often with good intention that we set out to protect that which we love most of all. But, in doing so – aren’t we inadvertently sealing their hearts from the rest of this world?

Though, more tragically, is when we attempt to shield our own in much the same way. As Dr. Rachel Remen once so poignantly asked,

“Is it possible to live so defensively that you never get to live at all?”

Much like the old man, we place our hearts upon the highest shelf, never once realizing that…like the baby swan – it, too, will soon outgrow the limitations of this space.

“We begin to survive at the cost of thriving,” offers author, Mark Nepo, “we exist at the cost of living and give into resignation instead of seeking joy again.”

Until we finally ask ourselves: “do we risk all that we have, in order to live fully once again?”