Tao #60

If you want to rule the world,
you might first want to learn how to fry a small fish.

Handle the small things first.
When you know the way of the world,
all the little demons lose their power.
Oh, they’re still out there, those demons:
the cares and the worries,
the anxieties and the hurts are still there.
But when you’re cooking a simple dinner,
those demons just can’t reach the level
of us ordinary people.
And the wise woman
and the wise man
never bother with causing harm
to the people.
Even to themselves.

And so she cooks a small fish,
pours herself a glass,
and settles down of an evening.

The way of the world,
leads to heavenly blessings,
if we allow it to carry us gently
back into the real living of our lives.