Don’t Miss the Good Things Unfolding Right Now (A New Monk)
A new monk joined a monastery in the mountains. In the centre was a courtyard with a huge cherry blossom tree. It was his favourite – to sit under, read under, pray under, even doze there.
As the summer ended and the cold weather came, the monks prepared to leave their mountain home and shelter in the valley below to escape the harsh winter. It was tradition that the newest monk would stay and look after the monastery.
Day by day the monk looked at the tree as it lost its blossoms and leaves until it was bare and looked dead. He was amazingly sad and lonely. In spring, as the weather warmed again, the monks returned to their mountain home. But the boy still felt the loss of the tree.
The head monk noticed how sad and downcast the new monk had become and asked, “Why are you so sad?”
The boy replied, “Because my friend, the tree, left me.”
The elder responded, “My son, look—the tree cast away winter long ago. It has not held onto the past but has blossomed in the spring. You just did not see.”
What this story shows us is that it’s impossible to stop change – we may as well try to stop the seasons. Yet by focusing on what has gone, we can easily miss the good things unfolding right now.
Our brains don’t always help. They have a tendency to hold onto difficulty more tightly than ease, a pattern described in Baumeister’s book Bad Is Stronger Than Good. This “negativity bias” once kept us alert to danger, but in everyday life it often means replaying past losses or imagining future problems, while missing what is steady or joyful in the present.
As Sharon Salzberg puts it in Real Happiness, “The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.” Bringing our attention back to what is here – even if it’s something very small – loosens the grip of those old stories and lets us see what is already blossoming.
There are simple ways to practice this in daily life
One is to pause and notice three things you can see, two things you can hear, and one thing you can smell or taste. This brief check-in interrupts mental time-travel and roots you in what is happening right now.
Another is to pause and name one thing you feel grateful for in this moment – the coffee in front of you, the ability to walk, the sound of children laughing, your coat, even the colour purple. Robert Emmons, in his book Thanks!, describes how simple acts of gratitude like this boost mood, strengthen resilience, and even benefit physical health.
When we’re grieving or feel weighted by loss, our attention can lock onto what’s gone – and we can miss the gifts of the present. Just as the monk overlooked the budding blossoms, we might overlook small signs of renewal.
So, if you’re able, try one of these small practices now. See if it helps you notice something unfolding – something beautiful – that you hadn’t seen before.
For more resources and reflections, you’re always welcome to visit our website. And if you’d like something for children, take a look at our short videos on our YouTube channel.
