It was one of those months where 4 weeks felt like 4 years. Maya, driven as always, was on the go, putting out one fire after the next. She climbed the corporate ladder with precision and tenacity, yet she had a nagging feeling of something being amiss. Her once-clear path seemed overgrown with doubts and uncertainties.
‘Am I making progress? Am I moving in the right direction? Why does it feel like I’ve been stuck in this in-between phase for far too long?’
The questions seemed endless, and no answers emerged.
One evening, overwhelmed, Maya decided to take a walk in the nearby forest. A rare patch of green amidst the concrete jungle. As she wandered aimlessly, she recalled a Zen parable her grandmother once shared: the story of the bamboo and the oak.
In a powerful storm, the mighty oak stood rigid, confident in its strength. Yet the ferocious winds snapped its branches and uprooted it. Meanwhile, the bamboo, with its thin stalks, bent and swayed but never broke.
As Maya strolled deeper into the woods, she marvelled at the tall trees swaying gently in the breeze. They seemed to whisper secrets, as if to say, “embracing flexibility isn’t a weakness .”
Reflecting on the parable, Maya realised she’d been like the oak tree, rigid and resistant to change. In her quest for success, she overlooked the value of bending with life’s gusts and learning from unexpected paths.
That night, Maya sat under the stars, contemplating.
Maybe feeling lost and going astray wasn’t a failure. It could be a detour filled with insights.
And, maybe rather than holding on too tightly to her so-called plans, she could be flexible and open to not having all the answers.
That night, instead of feeling despair, she felt hopeful. Maybe going astray is also part of the growth.
Over the following weeks, Maya embraced her journey with newfound resilience. She allowed herself to explore without a clear map, to make mistakes, and most importantly, to learn from them. Her path, once overgrown and daunting, now felt rich with opportunity.
For Maya, the forest had become more than an escape; it was a reminder that the strongest paths are not straight but filled with bends and curves. Just like the resilient bamboo, she learned to adapt, grow, and thrive in whatever direction the wind blew.
We’ve all been in Maya’s shoes where our well-laid out plans seem to have gone astray. But what if going astray is not the end but a beautiful part of the process? Maybe if we embraced the winds of change, we could allow what’s unfolding in the in-between to guide us further along on our true path.
Some prompts that emerged as I reflected on Maya’s journey are:
- Where in my life am I holding on too tightly? How might embracing flexibility open up new growth opportunities?
- Was there a time in the past when I felt I’d gone astray? What lessons did that detour teach me that I still treasure today?
- What will help me shift my focus from reaching the destination to appreciating the journey?
Life InspirationLife LessonsMindful LivingPersonal GrowthSelf DiscoverySelf ImprovementThought Provokers
