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Once upon a time, there was a woman who had been lost in the desert for three whole days without water. Just as she was about to collapse, she saw what appeared to be a lake just a few hundred meters in front of her. “Could it be? Or is it just a mirage?” she thought to herself.
With the last bit of strength she could muster, she staggered toward the lake and quickly learned that her prayers had been answered: it was no mirage, it was indeed a large, spring-fed lake full of fresh water. More fresh water than she could ever drink in her lifetime. Yet while she was literally dying of thirst, she couldn’t bring herself to drink the water. She simply stood by the water’s edge and stared down at it.
There was a passer-by riding on a camel from a nearby desert town who was watching the woman’s bizarre behaviour. He got off his camel, walked up to the thirsty woman, and asked, “Why don’t you have a drink, ma’am?”
She looked up at the man with an exhausted, distraught expression across her face and tears welling up in her eyes. “I am dying of thirst,” she said, “But there is way too much water here in this lake to drink. No matter what I do, I can’t possibly finish it all.”
The passer-by smiled, bent down, scooped some water up with his hands, lifted it to the woman’s mouth, and said, “Ma’am, your opportunity right now, and as you move forward throughout the rest of your life, is to understand that you don’t have to drink the whole lake to quench your thirst. You can simply take one sip. Just one small sip… and then another if you choose. Focus only on the mouthful in front of you, and all your anxiety, fear, and overwhelm about the rest will gradually fade.”
(Author Unknown) – but I loved the story so I decided to share it.
Have a great day, one glorious sip of a moment at a time.
Patrick Mercie, 31/10/21
A wonderful story of just taking little right actions, one small step at a time, living in the present moment and not being overwhelmed, when the ‘dream’ scenario, or opportunity, presents itself… But choosing to take one action, which will lead to the next and so on… Noticing where synchronicities along the way, show up to keep you aligned to your vision, as it grows and grows, and allowing the dial on the compass to shift with the sands in the wind, and keep you on track… Thanks for sharing Patrick.