Crane’s Reflection
A great blue lake
A great divide between two land masses
On one side a serene bamboo forest
The land of the Giant Pandas
Here there was not a sound to be heard
The long stalks assimilated the wind
Slowly swaying side to side
And the great beasts lay still
Resting with tranquility,
Steadily breathing in the clean crisp air
Not an ounce of anxiety to be found
On the other side, a great big rainforest
The land of the Gibbon Monkeys
Here the squawks and screeches came interminably
The massive trees with their cloudlike tops shook to and fro,
Trembled by the bustling nature of the primates that lived among them
These monkeys always felt there was something more to be done,
They worked all day and night and rarely rested
The tension felt as thick as the muggy air that devoured the trees
Finding himself between these two lands was the Red-Crowned Crane
He stood still in the shallow part of the lake
Searching for his prey
Although he stood there for quite some time
He had never been a decisive one
Eventually he found what he was looking for
He struck quickly and gracefully
With a full stomach his thoughts wandered elsewhere
Spring was approaching swiftly he realized
It was time to begin the construction of his nest
He decided that he wanted lots of flowers
He knew they weren’t a popular choice for a male’s nest,
But he found them to be quite beautiful
And he hoped the lady cranes felt the same way
Remembering the abundance of flowers in the rainforest
He knew that was where he must go
Raising his long black neck
His crimson crown glowing in the evening sun
And spreading his elegant white wings
He took off into the air
Letting the wind guide him
He found himself at the edge of the rainforest
Searching intently
Grabbing any flower that was to his liking
At first he didn’t notice the movement all around him
He was very absorbed in his own work
Eventually he raised his head
The Gibbon monkeys were hustling and bustling
Intrigued by the determined nature of the monkeys,
The Red-Crowned Crane questioned the Gibbon closest to him
“Hey Gibbon, do you guys always work so late into the night?”
The Gibbon looked around,
Searching for who had interrupted his ever-so important work
Eventually he spotted the crane
In an annoyed and rushed tone he responded,
“Of course, we work late and wake up early
we always need to be ready for what is next”
The best preparation for good work tomorrow
Is to do good work today
The Gibbon left swiftly,
He did not have any more time to waste
It was such a simple idea,
But the crane found himself stunned
How had he not thought of this before he pondered
It seemed to work so well for the Gibbons
He decided he was going to try this new lifestyle
He picked up his flowers
And took off back to his home
The sun was barely over the horizon
The Crane was already awake,
Ready to start his day
His favorite breakfast was a fresh cricket
The best place to get crickets was in the bamboo forest
This is where he must go he decided
As he neared the bamboo forest,
The Crane realized that it was much quieter on this side of the lake
“Weren’t the pandas already up and hard at work like the Gibbons?” he thought
Still, the Crane saw no movement amongst the bamboo
Eventually he reached a clearing
Here he spotted the Pandas
Relaxing in the morning,
Some still sleeping peacefully
He approached the closest panda
“Why are you still sleeping?” He questioned
“Don’t you need to get to work so you’ll be ready for tomorrow?”
The Panda drowsily opened his eyes
“Calm down there my little friend, what is it that concerns you?” He responded
“Well the Gibbons are always working, and here you are asleep” The Crane said
“Ahhh” The Panda responded
“We Pandas need our sleep, we work when we are fully rested
No one can produce good work on a lack of sleep.”
Rest time is not waste time
It is economy to gather fresh strength
The Crane hadn’t thought of that
However, this too made perfect sense
He did find himself already feeling pretty tired from the lack of sleep the night before
Although, now he was perplexed
How did the Pandas and the Gibbons have such different ways of living?
And how were they both so successful?
There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest
Use both and overlook neither
He pondered this question as he looked for his breakfast
Eventually with a full stomach, he was ready to leave
However, the Crane could not shake this issue
He decided to travel back to the Gibbons
Soon he was at the Rainforest
He stood there watching the Gibbon monkeys
They were piling boxes and boxes
Gibbons were coming in and out
Some carrying small black fruits
Others were carrying handfuls of sticks
“What are you up to Gibbons?” The Crane questioned
“We’re collecting figs and sticks” They responded
“We need to make sure we collect all the resources we may need
You can never have enough.”
Without abundant resources
Prosperity is out of reach
This once again made perfect sense to the Crane
He decided that he too should stockpile his resources
Having an abundance of crickets would be helpful he thought
He traveled to the bamboo forest,
Ready to gather his crickets
He once again found the Pandas
They moved about slowly
“Where are your stores of resources?” The Red-Crowned Crane asked the Pandas
“We don’t have any” the pandas calmly replied
“But how are you going to have what you need?”
“Well, we don’t really need anything” the Pandas responded
“The only things we need are all around us.”
If a little is not enough for you,
Nothing is
This once again made sense for the Crane
If you didn’t need much,
Then you wouldn’t need to stockpile
But now he was more confused than ever
The monkeys were successful working all day
Yet the Pandas were successful sleeping in
The Monkeys were successful stockpiling resources
Yet the Pandas were successful without resources
He decided to head back home
Maybe the answer would come to him there he thought
He stayed up late into the night
The question still nagging his brain
He stared into the dark abyss of water in front of him
How could these two sides be so different,
Yet both are so successful?
And which side should he follow?
Should he be relaxed like the Pandas?
Or should he be productive like the Gibbons?
Which was the best way to live life?
In time he saw his reflection in the water
His long face glimmering in the moonlit lake
Then it struck him
There is not one best way to live life
No predefined path to success
It is whatever works best for you
And he is not a Gibbon Monkey nor is he a Giant Panda
He is a Red-Crowned Crane
He must define his own path
He must choose his own success
To be yourself
In a world that is constantly trying to make you something else
Is the greatest accomplishment.
Dedicated to my brothers:
Marcelino the Panda and Rodrigo the Monkey
By, Antonio Plaza (The Crane)