February 2022 Magazine letter
One way or another the last couple of years have given many of us a bit of a battering. So what restores you? What feeds your inner man or woman? What gives you the heart to face the new day? What energises you? What keeps you going?
The master once told the story of a priceless antique bowl that fetched a fortune at a public auction. It had been used by a tramp who ended his days in poverty, quite unaware of the value of the bowl with which he begged for pennies.When a disciple asked the master what the bowl stood for, the master said. “Your self!”Asked to elaborate he said, “All your attention is focussed on the pennies you put into the bowl. You would do better to pay attention to the bowl itself.”
Paying attention to the bowl might take many forms, but it is not about pampering and self-indulgence, it is about finding what restores that indefinable energy within and valuing it. Maybe it will be a round of golf, or the Saturday afternoon match, or sitting in an empty church, or a walk in the country. For me it is an empty church at the beginning of the working day.
Whatever it is it will not necessarily feel like relaxation, it can be harder work than that, but it should make a difference, it should make you feel stronger in spirit and clearer of mind and kinder of temperament. You probably already know what it is, just don’t forget to make time for it. It is not a self-indulgence, it is a necessity, or like a knife that is never sharpened, you eventually won’t be able to function.