Wooden Apples (inspirational)

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WOODEN APPLES

 

There once was a happy monkey wandering the jungle, eating delicious fruit when

hungry, and resting when tired. One day he came upon a house, where he saw a

bowl of the most beautiful apples. He took one in each hand and ran back into

the forest.

 

He sniffed the apples and smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but hurt his

teeth. They were made of wood, but they were really beautiful, and when the

other monkeys saw these wooden apples, he held onto them even tighter.

 

He admired his new possessions proudly as he wandered the jungle. They glistened

red in the sun, and seemed perfect to him.

 

He became so attached to them, that he didn't even notice his hunger at first. A

fruit tree reminded him, but he felt the apples in his hands.

 

He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for the fruit. In fact, he couldn't

relax, either, if he was to defend his apples. A proud, but less happy monkey

continued to walk along the forest trails.

 

The apples became heavier, and the poor little monkey thought about leaving them

behind. He was tired, hungry, and he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with

his hands full.

 

He suddenly thought……..what if he just let go?

 

Letting go of such valuable things seemed crazy, but what else could he do? He

was so tired. Seeing the next fruit tree, and smelling it's fruit was enough.

He dropped the wooden apples and reached up for his meal. He was happy again.

 

So how many Wooden Apples are we carrying?

 

Like that little monkey, we too carry things that seem too valuable to let go.

 

A man carries an image of himself as "productive" - carries it like a shiny

wooden apple. But in reality, his ‘busyness’ leaves him tired, and hungry

for a better life. Still, letting go seems crazy. Even his worries are sacred

apples - they prove he's "doing everything he can." He holds onto them

compulsively.

 

This is a hard thing to see. We identify so strongly with our things, even

feeling pain when our cars are dented. How much more powerfully do we identify

with our beliefs and self-ideas? Yet they don't always feed our souls, do they?

And we become tired of defending them.

 

The monkey might be found dead of hunger, under a beautiful tree, with fruit

within reach, but still grasping his wooden apples.

 

Only if we choose to let these go………will we be able to receive with open hands!

 

Duty is God, Work is Worship