How much gratitude can you bear?
I have slowly been reading through The Gift, Poems by Hafiz, The Great Sufi Master, translated by Daniel Ladinsky.
Hafiz writes truly soulful poems, gracious, ecstatic, clever, sensual, subtle, observant, and above all, compassionate.
The following poem brought me back to one of the basics of recovery–and of all spiritually-minded paths in life–gratitude.
How easy it is to forget to be grateful?
Grateful for the things we have in life that nurture and sustain us, and grateful for the things in life we don’t have due to the grace of the universe, self-care, noble living or the kindness of others.
TWO BEARS
Once
After a hard day’s forage
Two bears sat together in silence
On a beautiful vista
Watching the sun go down
And feeling deeply grateful
For life.
Though, after a while
A thought-provoking conversation began
Which turned to the topic of
Fame.
The one bear said,
“Did you hear about Rustam?
He has become famous
And travels from city to city
In a golden cage;
He performs to hundreds of people
Who laugh and applaud
His carnival
Stunts.”
The other bear though for
A few seconds
Then started
Weeping.