The three questions:
What was the right time for every action?
Who were the most necessary people? and
How he might know what was the most important thing to do?
Tolstoy’s short story: Three Questions
Tolstoy wrote a wonderful story called Three Questions and the answers to those questions are really a formula for a happy, peaceful and blissful life. It is a wonderful story about the king’s search and the answers life and an old hermit provided him. It is definitely worth reading.
It once occurred to a certain king, that if he always knew the right
time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to
listen to, and whom to avoid; and, above all, if he always knew what
was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything
he might undertake.
And this thought having occurred to him, he had it proclaimed
throughout his kingdom that he would give a great reward to any one
who would teach him what was the right time for every action, and
who were the most necessary people, and how he might know what was
the most important thing to do.
The answer to those questions are:
Remember then: there is only one time that is important–
Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when
we have any power. The most necessary man is he with whom you are,
for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with any one
else: and the most important affair is, to do him good, because for
that purpose alone was man sent into this life!”
Now is the only time you have the power to change
How much time do you spend thinking about the past, processing, wanting to change, thinking about changing, wishing things could or would be different? If we take the time to notice we will observe we spend most of our time either in the past or in the future yet the only time we have the power to change anything is right now, in this moment. We have the power to change moment by moment and thought by thought but only while we are in that moment.
So how do you stay in the moment?
That is where it gets easy or difficult depending on the story you tell yourself. When we focus our attention on our breath we are in the moment. When we feel our breath and are one with it we are in the moment until we start talking to ourselves about our breath. Being in the moment is about being, not thinking about being.
Just breathe and be with the moment, be with who ever is with you in that moment and share the essence of who and what you are, your loving presence. It is a wonderful practice that will set you free. When you are in the moment, sharing love success is guaranteed.
With love and aloha,
Susan