Quote de jour
"The golden egg represents the symbolic journey to one's true self."
~LMW

One of my favorite Zen parables is about a goose egg that hatched inside a bottle. The grown goose was trapped inside the bottle, unable to escape. How do we rescue the poor goose? Zen master claps his hands and says, "The goose is out of the bottle!". Don't be where you don't want to be; get out, get on with things. Don't try to stop your suffering. Just stop suffering.


We all know the story of the goose that laid the golden egg. A man once owned a special goose and every day the goose would lay a golden egg. Before long, the  goose laid enough eggs to make the man rich.
"Just think," thought the man one day, "If I could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose right now, without waiting, I'd be even richer."
Without hesitation, he killed the goose and cut her open, only to find no golden eggs. She looked like an ordinary goose, and the man lost his source for more golden eggs.


The saying "Don't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs," because greed will leave you with nothing, is only one explanation. I believe the real riches are the spiritual ones. There are opportunities for self-growth in unexpected places and unexpected times. I found this bird's nest on the window sill of my barn and placed a golden egg inside to remind me of the parable whenever I walk past. What golden eggs are hiding in plain sight for you?