A story for today.

Today I just feel like writing a story. Not a fancy one, and not a new one. This is an old story, and my offering to you.

Once upon a time, there was a novice monk who lived in the monastery. He was a young man, and as such was still learning about relationships between people.
One afternoon, he went for a walk through the woods with his teacher. The teacher had been a monk for many years, and was well known for his wisedom and compassion. It was a lovely day, and they were having a pleasant conversation about this and that. The trail they were walking on ran next to a stream. It was a lovely stream, maybe a foot or so deep.
Well, eventually they happened upon a young woman who was standing on the other side of the stream. Dressed for a party and in her best shoes and stockings, she could not cross the stream without ruining her clothing. Without crossing the stream, she could not attend the party. She was in a dilemma.
The novice stood looking, unsure of what to do. But the teacher crossed the river. Then without a word, he gently lifted the woman in his arms, carried her across the stream, sat her down and continued on his walk. He picked up the discussion with the novice where he had left off.
The novice was puzzled and a little disconcerted. He listened to his teacher, but his mind kept on returning to the scene of his his teacher carrying the woman. How could the teacher do such an intimate act and then return to the conversation as if without a pause. They walked on for a good bit of time. Finally the novice could contain himself no more. He asked his teacher "how can you just carry a young woman over the stream and then continue as if it were nothing?"
"Ah", the teacher answered. "It was definitely something. The thing is, I set her down an hour ago. Why are you still carrying her?"

Touching without grasping. Letting go when the time of connection is past. Such a thing is hard for such a novice as I to learn. Yet within the story lies unspeakable beauty.