In this story, a young boy was born into a world of constant rainfall, many thousands of years ago. Every day, every night, just constant torrential rain. The thing is, that this was everyone’s reality.

Many people spent their entire lifetime with it raining consistently and so they didn’t know any different. They didn’t know that there was a time in the past or the future where the rain did not fall every day.

But everything adapts to the conditions and circumstances. Everything becomes normal. And so, this boy found, that this was his new normal. What he also discovered was that suffering and struggle was also normal.

Even in the modern world we live in today, suffering and struggle and pain is normal. So much so that we don’t even see it for what it is. It is simply the ways things are.

However, the young boy did not believe that everyone around him in the village where supposed to suffer and struggle. He looked around at the world and saw the beauty in everything.

He saw the beauty in his family, his friends and the animals. In the land, the rivers and the sea. The huge trees, growing lush and tall.

He noticed that life around him seemed to be thriving but he also noticed that the people around him where not thriving. Many things had happened to them during their lifetime, regardless of how young or old they were.

There had been the death of loved ones, there had been accidents, catastrophes, disasters. There had been hardships and fighting and life changing injuries. There was much hardship in these times.

The question, the boy asked himself was, do we carry on like this or do we seek a different way of being. He felt they were missing something. He felt that how could they be suffering when all around them, there was beauty and abundance.

And so, one day, he went down to the beach and he sat there for hours, meditating to seek answers. He allowed the small waves that constantly hit the beach to relax his mind. To bring him into a state of presence.

And then, he listened to what was being said. About how, there was indeed a different way of being that did not involve struggle and simply trying to survive. The way involved being aware of their thoughts and feelings.

For this is how their reality was created. It was created by each individual. One would create chaos in their life that only they would experience. While another, who lives close by would not experience this chaos.

For they lived their life in a different vibration. They lived a life of gratitude. Of being thankful and grateful for everything they come into contact with. The beauty of nature. The kindness in their loved ones eyes.

They were grateful when they could eat. Grateful for beautiful sunsets and sunrises. Grateful for being alive for another day. The more they were grateful for in their life, the more they noticed around them.

They noticed the little things. A small beetle wondering around, busily doing its thing. They noticed the pretty colours of the beetle. Its relentless attitude to achieve its goal. Be that finding food or finding a mate.

What he discovered was noticing the little things around him, changed his perspective of his reality of the world around him. He wasn’t racing around trying to achieve things.

Trying to do as much work as possible. Trying to earn as much money as possible. Instead, we was simply aware of what was going on. How everything, especially time slowed down the more aware he became.

Everything seemed to change for him. He seemed to become part of this natural world. He saw things what others missed. He spoke to his friends about the things he saw but they had no idea what he was talking about for they had missed it.

They were rushing around in their life. Super busy, trying to achieve things in their life and yet, missing out on the most important things. The lesson, the boy realised, was to slow down and notice every little thing around you.

(Can you see the fly in the photo?)

Be grateful for being part of this natural world. Be grateful for every little thing. The more he did this, the more his awareness grew. And also, the more joy and fulfillment he experienced. He smiled more. He laughed out loud.

He found it incredible how so many people occupied the same space that he did and yet experienced life in a different way. They did not see what he saw. They did not experience what he did.

And yet, it is available to each of us if we just choose to slow down and look.

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