Try too hard.

Have you ever felt that you just tried too hard to make something happen.? I get that feeling so often in life. The trouble is the harder we try, how often the worse it gets.

I spent ages trying to paint those hands I showed the other day in pastel on a sheet of black paper and try as I might I could not get it to work for me.

There is a lovely tale about the Buddha . One day he was out walking with some of his followers and students. It was a warm and beautiful day. They had been walking for some time and the noon day sun was warm. They decided to stop and take a time of rest at the side of a river. 

The Buddha suggested they get some water from the river to sooth their thirst. One of the students took a bowl and headed down to the bank. Just as he arrived a group of women began washing cloth in the river. The action stirred up some of the mud from the river bed. 

Then along came a man with two ox and a cart and he led them into the water, again stirring up much of the mud from the river bed. 

He returned to the group and told them the water was far too muddy to drink. The buddha told them to rest and wait. 

Sometime later he suggested once again that they go and get some water. Again the student took the bowl and headed down to the river. 

This time he returned with a bowl filled with clear refreshing water.  The buddha took the bowl and said to the student. "You see you have now got clear water and it did not take much effort on your or our part to get it."

It is a bit like our mind and our striving. Sometimes we try far too hard when what we should be doing is taking outr time and clearing the head and letting things happen naturally. 

Have a wonderful day.