The Tao of Pooh

"Say, Pooh, why aren't you busy?" I said. 

"Because it's a nice day," said Pooh. 

"Yes, but ---"

"Why ruin it?" he said. 

"But you could be doing something Important," I said. 

"I am, " said Pooh. 

"Oh? Doing what?"

"Listening," he said. 

"Listening to what?"

"To the birds. And that squirrel over there."

"What are they saying?" I asked. 

"That it's a nice day," said Pooh. 

"But you know that already," I said. 

"Yes, but it's always good to hear that somebody else thinks so, too," he replied. 

(From the Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff)

It would be nice to have Pooh's pure heart and simple mind. Alas, I am still driven to get places that I sometimes miss the magic of the moment. My desire for recognition is as big as it has ever been. There is little I can do about this fact of life, but what I can do is to surround myself with people I love and sign up for a mission worth fighting for. Slowly, I see the fire of passion get transformed into a much more serene energy instead. At my work as a financial strategist I give the thesis of cooperation over competition a try and see what comes of it. At home, I see our two beautiful boys grow into men. Last, but not least, I am on my way to build a spiritual network and work towards my avocation of becoming a writer and spiritual coach.

A spiritual journey is a spiral that steadily advances towards GOD. With every year that goes by, I experience more and more moments the Tao of Pooh writes about. We have to let our nature do its thing, but along the WAY, moments of beauty and significance appear ever more often. We develop an eye, an ear and a feel for the magic of the WAY. Practice the Tao of the Pooh - drop everything and smell the roses.