They say that the best way to Catch a Monkey is to leave a jar of beans out for him. The monkey will stick his hand in the jar and try to pull out the beans. His hand, however, when clenched around the beans will no longer fit through the jar opening. The monkey, very desirous of the beans, will not let go of them, giving you sufficient time to catch the monkey.
It is good to apply this concept to our own lives. If we are so attached to something that we cannot let go of it, our attachments will hinder us from being able to grow. This could be a bad habit, material possessions, greed, etc. With the approaching season of Lent, it is a good time to assess our lives and see what things are really keeping us from growing as a person. It could be as simple as going through our closets, seeing if we can pass on some of the things we have accumulated this past year to give to the poor. Or perhaps we are bogged down in our work, and we need to detach ourselves from being so preoccupied with worldly cares.
It is a challenge for most of us to just "let go" of things in our lives. With Ash Wednesday around the corner, it is a great time to see what we can manage to move on from in life. There is always something, and it is a good reminder that we will be so much happier if we just drop the beans back in the jar and pursue higher and more important dreams.
So don't be a monkey!
~ Therese
