The Story Of The Stonemason

Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. So I'm going to share a story with you. Once upon a time, there was a stonemason who paused to rest from his hard work at the side of an enormous rock. And as he did this, he looks over and he sees this rich lord with all these servants passing by under the shade of the trees. So upon seeing this, the stonemason, you know, seeing all that comfort and luxury, he's own work felt so much harder.

And he thought to himself, Oh, if only I was a rich man, then I'd be really happy. So suddenly these voice answers from the mountain, "Your wish shall become a reality, a rich man, you shall be." And when the stonemason returned home, where his simple home had once stood, there was a palace full of riches. So this poor man was now overflowing with joy. And before long, his old life was totally forgotten. One day he's walking in the marketplace and he feels the sun burning down on his face.

In that moment, he wished he was as mighty as the sun himself. And in that moment he became the sun. And as the sun, he felt all powerful. His light shone around the world on kings and cobblers alike. But before long, a cloud moved in front of him and obscured his light.

What's this, he wondered, a cloud is better than me? I wish I was a cloud. Suddenly, a cloud he became. And for weeks he blocked out the sun's rays. He poured rain until the rivers overflowed their banks. But he noticed that there was just one thing unaffected by his power.

A great rock on the mountain side. What's this a rock is mightier than me? I wish I was a rock and a rock he became. Proudly he stood, neither the heat or the sun or the force of the rain could move him, but he heard a strange noise at his feet. And when he looked down, he saw a stone,ason breaking him up piece by piece. And he cried in anger.

I wish I was a stonemason. So in that instant, he became a stonemason once again, and then he remained content as he was for the rest of his life. So was there anything familiar to you about this story? If there was, it's because like the stonemason, we can all get caught up in a powerful, psychological trap. The trap of getting caught in a mindset that's always wanting this moment to be something other than it is, something more. You know, there's this basic thought that says this moment is not good enough.

I want something better, something more. It's either we're not good enough, our partners are not good enough, our lives are not good enough, our thighs are not good enough, our financial situation, our mindfulness practice. There's a million different versions of this one story. And when you buy into it, of course, you're never satisfied, never content, never fully present. But what's available to us now is another choice to notice those not good enough stories and just not buy into them.

And to use this powerful antidote that the stonemason discovered at the end of his journey, the power of appreciating what's already here, it's really just a mindset change. You know, there's an old saying, Happiness is not having what you want. It's appreciating what you have. So that's the invitation and the practice for today. Notice when the stories of what's lacking come up in your day and as best you can just let them go, don't buy into them and keep bringing your focus back to appreciation and gratitude.

Just by opening up to the fullness and enoughness of our lives, we naturally live with more presence, meaning and contentment. So wishing you a wonderful day. And we look forward to being back here with you tomorrow.