Our little CtU family has had some shake-ups recently. Both Laura and I will be heading off to graduate school in a few months, leaving our beloved apartment and San Francisco behind us. It’s been a tumultuous year, but we’ve been together through everything. It’s kind of scary for us to think about going our separate ways. We’re getting used to the idea slowly and with the advent of spring, it seems there’s no better time for rebirth and renewal. Maybe that’s why I was so struck by today’s reading in 365 Tao by Deng Ming-Dao:

A solitary crane
In winter snow
Needs no jewels.

A single crane standing unconcerned in the falling snow is the very image of independence. It nees no one, it is secure in its environment, and it is capable of going through life alone. Its independence stems from self-sufficiency.

It needs no clothing, no building, no wealth, no status. It is content, even glorious in its naked identity. So too with ourselves: There is no need for dazzling clothes, an impressive career, an awesome temple, nor a bejeweled master. What we want is something far beyond such externals.

What facets of your personality are encumbrances? What personal aspects prevent you from being independent? These are the areas that will define your self-cultivation, for you must strive to stand alone. This doesn’t mean that you won’t ever join with others, but you will do so as an individual who will cooperate just as much as is necessary. In this way you will never be lost in a group, and you will never fear being alone.

If we live like the crane, our true essence will arise in us from the Source. By understanding and observing the encumbrances in our personalities, they lose their power. The Tao, the Universe, runs through each of us and guides our lives. By standing still, unafraid, embracing our true identities, the light of the Universe will shine forth. There is nothing to fear, I am everything and everything is me: all one.