How To Enjoy The Present Moment
I would like to share another story that Paulo Coelho shared in his book, Like the Flowing River.
Over the last few years, it has helped me enjoy the present moment. Let us all learn how to value the present.
Rome: Isabella Returns from Nepal
I meet Isabella in a restaurant where we usually go because it's always empty, even though the food is excellent. She tells me that, during her trip to Nepal, she spent some weeks in a monastery. One afternoon, she was walking near the monastery with one of the monks, when he opened the bag he was carrying and stood for a long time studying its contents. Then he said to Isabella:
'Did you know that bananas can teach you the meaning of life?'
He took out a rotten banana from the bag and threw it away.
'That is the life that has been and gone, and which was not used to the full and for which it is now too late.'
Then he drew another banana, which was still green. He showed it to her and put it back in the bag.
'This is the life that has yet to happen, and for which we need to wait until the moment is right.'
Finally, he took out a ripe banana, peeled it, and shared it with Isabella.
'This is the present moment. Learn how to gobble it up without fear or guilt.'