The Space Between
Mary Taylor
Sometimes the path out of darkness lies nearby. If only we had time to turn and look the other way.
This past year has been a doozie. Which is putting it nicely. As we move into 2021 in contrast to what any of us imagined a year ago when the virus was first discovered, much of the world is still in lockdown and things in some ways seem to be getting more tenuous. Yet, there is more to the story than that. The pandemic emerged in a splintered world, surfacing amid some of history’s worst social and political turmoil that reflected longstanding, widespread inequality and disregard for others which fueled anger, deceit, mistrust, and fear. The pace of life and work for many had become so imbalanced that there seemed to be not enough time to do more than feverishly tread water to keep afloat. So when the pandemic hit, it became vividly clear that though we might have had the impulse to just get back to “normal” as fast as possible, going back to the way things were was neither possible nor desirable.
Before the elastic fabric of life springs back to take its old form there’s still time, space between times to pause and reassess. To look back closely at the past year for lessons and unexpected gifts that may lay hidden within all we’ve been through together. Perhaps new paths of action, awareness, and practice are open and waiting. If only we could see them!
The fable of the merchant and the peasants comes to mind.
In a small village tucked into a remote mountainous area of Tibet, there lived a very sweet couple who, due to circumstance, was the poorest for miles around. They lived in a tiny cottage they’d constructed to encase a flat rock that provided an epicenter within their simple dwelling around which they’d gather and at other times use as a seat. It offered a sense of stability, and they’d sit together around it for meals as they passed their days. Life wasn’t easy, but they were safe and managed to survive. They felt content to live a simple life.
One day a traveling merchant came through the village looking to find riches he could barter for and take away to sell at profit. He traded gold coins for cows and grain that villagers were willing to part with and was about to set on his way when he came across the humble cottage. Knocking on the door he inquired as to what the family had they’d be willing to sell. They laughed and invited him in to show him they had nothing of value. Upon seeing the rock in the center of the cottage the merchant’s eyes lit up. He told them it was filled with rare gems that were worth far more than the family could imagine and that he’d be willing to take it to market. He promised that for a small cut of the profits, he’d bring back the riches that lay buried in the rock.
Figuring they had nothing to lose, the couple agreed, helped the merchant load the rock onto his cart and they watched him disappear into the distance. Time passed and he didn’t return. Checking the horizon each day for the sight of the merchant, they eventually came to the conclusion that there was a lesson in all of this. That they’d been tricked out of their one possession due to greed and the fantasy that suddenly they would have riches beyond their wildest dream by doing nothing to earn the wealth. This realization was a hard pill to swallow, but as more time passed and the pang of their ignorance subsided, they began to realize that things weren’t that bad after. Still, they had each other. They came to understand that their most valuable “possession”—their connection to one another—was undamaged and that that life would sort itself out. More time passed and having given away the rock, their tiny cottage seemed huge—like a mansion—so they felt free in ways they hadn’t imagined possible.
On a warm spring day many years later, they were out in their tiny yard tilling the soil when in the distance they heard a rumbling. Looking up they saw on the horizon a familiar shape—the merchant was returning to the village. At first, they thought to confront him, then to warn the other villagers of his ill intent. But he was traveling quickly and there was no time. As he approached their cottage he slowed down and then stopped. He climbed down from his horse and began unloading bags and bags of gold and from that day on the couple became the wealthiest landowners in their part of the world.
The story doesn’t detail what happened next—were they wise with their wealth, or did they become corrupt? That is for another story. But at least we can draw a lesson from this part of the tale. Sometimes we think we have nothing, while that which is right before our eyes, so close we do not even see it, is pointing us in the direction of wealth beyond our wildest dreams.
“Sometimes the very things we’ve take for granted are filled with hidden treasure that can enrich life immeasurably. ”
Sometimes it’s only after the fact that we realize that the very things we’ve take for granted or those things that have seemed to cause great suffering are filled with hidden treasures that can enrich our lives immeasurably. If only we find the time and the right light in which to examine them. Though this past year has been unimaginably tragic and difficult on so many levels for so many if we use what we’ve been through (and are continuing to endure) perhaps there are hidden jewels of wisdom, and insight that we’ll see and that may catapult us into waking up to discover new pathways toward finding lasting happiness. At the same time, we cannot rush through the difficulties nor is it helpful to linger too long in them. Timing is everything and good timing is found through fostering awareness of the present moment.
Many of the lessons from 2020 may still be diamonds in the rough, but when we see a glimmer of light in the darkness—like knowing that turtles hatched for the first time in 20 years on our beloved Thai island of Samui or recalling images of policeman hugging protesters during race riots in Portland, or spending unexpected time and getting to know in new ways members of our very own family—then there’s hope for a better future.
“You must go into the Mandala through the dark gate rather than chasing after the gold. ”
