THE MASTER

The master greeted an old friend. He had been married for many years. "How are you, brother?" "Nothing changes, O Venerable One." "I learned many years ago that change is the one constant. Most sages agree that we live in a constant state of change." "Not me, O Venerable One." "How so, my brother?" "My wife and I have a relationship that never changes. We fight and then we reconcile. We fight and then we reconcile. As is our custom, we are fighting once again. Why can't we live a peaceful life like the other couples we know?" "Because both of you are at your happiest when you are reconciling. You are lucky, my brother. Not many people experience true happiness."

The monk lay in his bed and looked out the window. He had a partial view of the eaves against a gray sky. As he stared heavenward, he noticed a drop forming at the edge of the roof and then falling to the ground. "I wonder if another will follow?" he asked himself. And soon enough another did followed by another and another. "It must have rained last night," he said to himself, content that knowledge was so easily attained.