Take · my · thoughts...for · what · they're · worth

The master, looking ever so poised, sat in front of the disciples with a leaf in his hand.
The disciples were quite confused. They were infatuated with this scenario. What on Earth could be happening inside the Master's mind? What was he thinking? What profound insight did he have to offer them today?
After a few moments of silence, the disciples began to get frustrated. The master was sitting quietly passing the leaf from hand to hand, turning it over, and yet not saying a word. Not being able to stand it any longer, one of the disciples spoke up.
“Sir, if I may ask, what exactly are you doing?” asked one disciple.
“What does it look like I am doing?” asked the master.
“Well, you are playing with a leaf.” replied the disciple.
“Is that what everyone else thinks as well?” questioned the master.
The disciples shook their heads in agreement. Another one spoke up, “What does the leaf symbolize master?”
The master glanced at the disciple and then back at the leaf.
“What do you think it represents?” asked the master.
The disciples talked quietly amongst themselves until at last one confident disciple arose. “Why it is the symbol of nature: the ever changing pattern that moves through our lives. You must be deeply contemplating some change that has occurred in your life. Do tell us of it master.”
“Do not you see oh young souls? Where was my attention a moment ago? I was simply focused on was in front of me: the leaf. Yet where was your attention? You were not focused on but rather distracted by the leaf. The leaf has no deep symbolic meaning. It is what it is. Yet, you are choosing to examine it as a means of understanding something else. Perhaps that is where your trouble lies. You do not let a moment pass without analyzing what it meant. Accept things as they are when they come to you. You will acquire much more knowledge through being focused than you will through being distracted.”
“But what about you master? Now you are distracted by us.”
“Examine your perspective my son. I have but changed my focus. I am focused on the source of your distraction. Perhaps you should do the same. Do not spend your time puzzling over what others are thinking but rather puzzling over what you are thinking. If your focus is outward, turn it inward. You choose your distractions as much as you choose your focus. What do your choices say about you?”

“How thick is your skin?” asked the master.
“Why, that's a silly question! It's about the same as everyone else...” replied the disciple.
“No, no, it is not,” the master was quick to point out. “Your skin is only as thick as your ability to affect the world. When people speak to you, when their actions become a translation of their feelings, when their eyes stare into the moving waters in the depths of your soul, when they see their own reflection glimmering upon the gentle waves, when they watch their actions make ripples that dance across space and time, when their skin tingles with that always brief and passing feeling that pervades all else, when at last they have seen, known, and felt the sweat of God upon their spirit, then my friend you will know how thick your skin is. For until that day, you are only measuring your ability to disconnect from the world. What is real is connecting with the world, being open to each and every experience, understanding that you can truly learn from every experience, every person, every place, every time, every idea, every feeling, every thing my friend. Don't carry the past within your soul, it only clouds the water. Don't look to the future, you'll lose track of what you have. Be yourself now. Let the water flood your soul with the present moment. Let every fiber of your being recognize and become immersed in the freshness of the day. Just be here now. Just be here. Just be.”
As the master finished speaking, the disciple felt a cold chill as goose bumps spread across his arms. It was then that he realized what the master meant.