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i read this in an old entry and it really makes sense to me. especially now.

*this is the abridged version, for the complete one, read that entry*

The story suggests a more nuanced rendition of our dreaming, planning, and pursuing. First, we must not only dream, we must execute. The first man is content to keep his dream a dream, never to risk it upon the hard and difficult earth. When it comes right down to it, he does not desire to make things grow in his deserted place. The teacher goes away. Perhaps he will return when dream combines with will. Mind power and will-power must work together.

Second, the pursuit of a dream will unfold in ways we do not expect. The second man knows how everything should go and is disgruntled when the master gardener does not follow his predetermined way of proceeding. Expectation is the forerunner of disappointment. Instead, he is asked to work in the dark, to toil faithfully without knowing everything. He cannot muster both the trust and perseverance for this adventure. Nothing grows and he knows who to blame - not himself.

The third man toils faithfully and becomes anxious not over his failure but over his success. Something begins to grow, and he must attend to it without knowing how. Then instead of worrying about the future, he notices the present. Instructions are written on what is growing. He follows them, his home is surrounded by greenness, and he speaks the great lesson of the tale: "It seemed to happen naturally. I persevered without having too many expectations."

We need to hear the wisdom of this story as we excitedly project our five-year plans. We need to dream of greenness in the desert. In other words, we should be ambitious to make the earth better. We should strive to make this dream a reality and not leave it in dreamland. However, the pursuit of a dream will not unfold as we expect. Our task is not to attach ourselves too tightly to our expectations because when they are not fulfilled, we are often frustrated and give up. Instead, we should persevere in a spirit of not knowing, trusting the next step will be given when the previous step is completed. We need to carefully attend to whatever is growing.

ahh. and i'm trying, so very hard, to do this.

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