A Journey Within

One day, the boy was busily gathering coconuts and other such delectables to adorn his table at meal time when out of nowhere the man called God appeared and asked Alexander to stop what he was doing and sit by His side. He wanted to see if the boy would follow that simple command though his arms were full of his culinary treasures. The boy immediately set down his bounty and bounded over to see what gems of wisdom his master had for him that day. In the past, though the lessons were difficult at first, the child’s diligent efforts to assimilate them in his everyday activities had paid off handsomely. He had learned to be grateful to God in the form of prayer for his meals, and he found that this seemed to multiply his food supply. His morning prayers of gratefulness served to bring him to a better place in his mind to begin his wondrous days and set himself up for a delightful day. His evening prayers of thanks were a calming reassurance that all was well though he was in this faraway land without a snip of connection with his loving family, whom he missed dearly. Instead of sleeping fitfully and worrying, he slept restfully and woke the next morning refreshed and rejuvenated. The paving technique was astounding in its value. It helped him focus on his intentions—what he wanted to do and accomplish—and it often smoothed the way to a most beautiful outcome like magic. Becoming aware of the voices in his head was a real eye-opener; it made him realize that whenever he followed his master’s advice on the subject, he could keep himself from spinning out of control and becoming overly upset about almost anything. Every now and then, he found he just could not shake the voices, so he would make a mental note to ask God for further help with such more difficult times. Mindfulness was the latest thing his master had taught him, and he loved the effects of this enchanting, peace-bringing technique. He had not known that merely keeping his thoughts trained on what was happening in the moment could allow the flow of life around him to lift its wings, soar into space, and return with exactly what he needed for the next moment and the next. The concept was so simple and yet so powerful in that it could provide for him if only he willingly focused on the here and now. Alexander had been so used to his mind taking off into the future and worrying about what might come next or revisiting the past and filling him with self-recrimination about how it could have gone better. He was amazed at how the simplest ways could bring the biggest payoffs. That morning, Alexander was anxious to hear what nuggets the sage might impart to him. He was already so full of these new ways of thinking that it was hard for him to believe there could be more. Scampering up in front of his master, he found a seat on a rock and settled in for another amazing lesson...