How to treasure moments and find a treasure too!

“It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life.  Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.”  Joseph Campbell

Many years ago, I found myself shuffling through too many interiors of antique shops. I was on vacation in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, with my hubby, and he had suddenly become obsessed with Indonesian pottery.  As I was not passionate about antiques at the time, the shopping was an absolute bore!  By the time we were in the fourth shop, I realized that I had to quickly develop a strategy to overcome my unsatisfying shopping experience because I was definitely not interested in exploring the wild streets of Jogjakarta alone in the evening.  

The idea I decided on was to appreciate each item one by one and thoroughly observe the color, shape and style of each item.  Rather than breezing over everything, I did make a sincere effort to make a note of each item and its details, and before long I was enjoying the process.  I was about half way through the store when I came across a pleasant surprise; there was an interesting antique statue among the pottery.  Looking closer, I realized it was a beautiful marble statue of Guru Nanak, a teacher of universal truth and founder of Sikhism.  I knew that since statues of Sikh Saints were almost never seen due to an objection to idol worship, this was a rare find!  I now had my own antique to take home!  So the next time you take the extra energy to appreciate, you too, may find some wonderful treasures before your eyes! :-)

“For those who are willing to make an effort, great miracles and wonderful treasures are in store.”  Isaac Bashevis Singer