“Just because someone carries it well does not mean it is not heavy.”
Unknown
I recently heard a story about a monk who was walking through a field with two of his students when they came across a large boulder.
“Do you think that boulder is heavy?” the monk asked.
The two students looked at each other perplexed, because clearly this was a large boulder and naturally very heavy.
“Yes, master, it is very heavy.” one of the students replied
After a brief pause the teacher said, “It is only heavy if you pick it up”
What’s in your luggage?
Recently my son was getting ready for a trip away from home. It was amusing to watch him pack everything but the kitchen sink then struggle to drag the suitcase down the stairs. I wondered how much of those items he actually would need.
In life how much unnecessary baggage have we packed that really is serving no purpose other than weighing us down?
Life will be full of plenty of heavy things that we can’t avoid. There will be illness, family troubles, financial strains, career setbacks.
We will have plenty of weight to deal with, so why would we want to take on more burdens than needed?
Lighten the load
There are plenty of heavy boulders that we choose to pick up on a daily basis. Things like resentment, jealousy, feeling wronged. All of these things add huge weight to our lives.
How many of us were wronged at some point in our lives and still let that scenario weigh us down daily?
How often do we get in a bad mood after scrolling through social media?
How many of us let someone else’s good news, ruin our day?
These are all unnecessary burdens we choose to pick up.
Let that Stuff Go
There is also a more colorful version of this statement, but I am trying to keep the blog family friendly.
We need to learn to let that stuff go.
Life is short.
I can guarantee the people you are letting add weight to your life, have their own boulders they are carrying.
Remember it is only heavy if you pick it up.