As soon as he hopped onto my lily pad, we ate our morning repast and chatted about the past week. When the meal was over, as we sipped our tea, Dharma asked me, "Son, have you ever experienced a time when things weren't going well and you had to make some sort of a big decision?" "Yes, Sir," I replied, "I think that happens to all of us at one time or another. I hate when that happens, though. Making important decisions during difficult times just adds insult to injury...ya know what I mean?" "I do, Tadpole, and that is what this weeks lesson is all about. A frog must have the patience to wait until his personal mud settles and the water is clear, before making big and important decisions. Humans might say, 'wait until the dust settles,' but the idea behind it is the same. Son, life is like a snow globe. Occasionally, life gets shaken up by unforeseen circumstances. And when the "snow" starts swirling around, it can make it difficult to see the beauty of what's really there. But if we wait and let the snow, or dust, or mud settle first, we can see that life is still beautiful."
Dharma reminded me that it can take personal restraint not to rush headlong into a decision when life isn't running smoothly. Sometimes a decision must be made quickly, and when those times do arise, it's best to make those decisions from your heart...what you believe is the right thing to do. But if it isn't an emergency then it's best to take some time, letting your personal mud, dust, or snow settle down and then reassess the situation from a place of clarity. Often humans and we frogs, as well, don't take the time to give ourselves the gift of letting our minds settle down and see what insights come to us. "Irwin, my boy, difficulty is often our best teacher. If we can have patience long enough to let our mud settle, we can learn a great deal from our problems for they are how we grow and gain wisdom." It is never a good idea to make decisions in the heat of the moment. Those are most often the decisions we regret most.
When Dharma had left, and as I was cleaning up my kitchen, I thought about some of the spur-of-the-moment decisions I've made. And of course, Dharma is right. Those quick decisions, made under the stress of a difficult situation, are ones certainly those among my worst ones. But hindsight is 20/20, so they say. And I like to think I've learned to wait until the snow, or mud, settles down to make decisions that could affect me and those I love in an adverse way. Until tomorrow, Dharma and I wish you, Peace, Love, and Clarity.