"Greetings, friend," she called to him. "Is it not beautiful, the spreading
of the evening like smoke through clear water?"
"No, it is miserable," answered the frog. "There is no good in constant
change. Let it be day, or let it be night. Why is there always this
accursed change?"
"Would you want the land around you to always look the same? Your waters
and skies? Your soul?" said the rose.
"My land and the rest can stay forever still without bothering me. As for
my soul, its restlessness is greatly disturbing me, and I would be only too
glad to find that which would still its struggles" answered the frog.
"You do not listen to the words which surround you," said the rose. "Each
creation speakes of God's holy dance, the prayer of gratitude and joy of
existence. Why do you choose the suffering of inertia, why carry the load
of fear upon your shoulders? Can you not see change as beautiful?"
"No, I cannot," responded the frog. "You can talk now, while at the peak of your health, but what
happens in a week? What do you do when your beauty flies, when your petals
wither and die, when none look at you with love?"
"There is always one who looks with love," she answered. "He cares not
whether you are young or old, male or female, beautiful or ugly. I do not
fear loss of beauty, for it has happened many times before. When my petals
fall, I am the joy and promise of new life. Can you see yourself as
promise?"
"I cannot," he answered. "And what of peace? Is it never to be found? Is
there no stillness, or quiet, or relaxation? All I see are storms."
"You must allow the storm to penetrate, to enter within, for only then will
you see its calm center. You must open yourself to its blinding
fascination, for only then will you develop strength. You must not cling to
your dark storms, but enter into the sunlit waters. You must become in
order to be."
"There is no way for me to do this. I cannot go far from my well, or I
shall die. I cannot travel far for my leaps are too small. My thoughts are
neither of heaven or earth, but only of an end to changing. So how may I
act?"
The rose said, "Leave your well and travel towards the east. I have heard
of a lake filled with lotus flowers, with wise frogs who sit upon the
leaves to answer all of your questions."
