
This is a story I come back to when I’m feeling stressed or frustrated:
A monk is meditating alone on a lake when another boat crashes into his. Anger rises until he opens his eyes and realizes the boat is empty, drifting freely after coming untied from the dock. In that moment, the anger vanishes. After all, he cannot be angry at an empty boat.
The lesson: Most collisions in life are with empty boats. No harm intended. No one to blame. Just random drift on the lake of life.
So when frustration builds, pause and ask:
Am I just getting angry at an empty boat?