You do not have to hold on to everything — letting go is also a kind of harvest.
When a sponge gourd ripens and dries, the flesh falls away and leaves behind the interlaced fibers inside — the luffa fiber we know so well.
There was a girl who always tried to do everything perfectly.
Replies had to be worded just right, work had to be flawless, and even a careless remark from someone else would circle in her mind for days.
One day, she watched her mother washing dishes with a luffa sponge and suddenly asked, 'How can this thing clean so many things so well?'
Her mother smiled and said, 'Because it knows what to keep, and what to wash away.'
She couldn't help laughing.
Life needs a regular clearing-out, too. Not every emotion is worth keeping, and not everything needs to be carried in the heart.
Set your worries down, and make room for good fortune to come in.
This series draws on the culture of Chinese medicinal herbs, plant culture, natural imagery, and wordplay as creative inspiration for quiet companionship and self-reflection. It does not constitute Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis, medication advice, or guidance for the treatment of disease.
