Set The Lady Down

I heard this story a few years ago and it has stuck with me.

Two Buddhist monks were walking through the woods to their monastery. They came to a stream where a young lady stood dressed in a beautiful silk kimono. She needed to cross the stream, but if she did, her kimono would be ruined.

One monk scooped her up and carried her across. She thanked him and went on her way. The monk and his companion continued on their journey to the monastery. A few hours later the companion, said “You know, I don’t think it’s proper for a monk to pick up a lady in that manner.”

The other monk smiled. “I set her down hours ago. Are you still carrying her?”

So often we worry about things we did and shouldn’t or things we should have done and didn’t. When I’m in one of those moods, I remember this story of the two monks and tell myself to “set the lady down.”

---

My newest book is with the editor, and the publisher has started on the artwork for the cover. This is the stage when remembering to set the lady down becomes critical. My self-doubts crowd out everything positive about the book.

Did I go deeply enough into the characters? Is the pacing as good as I thought when I submitted it? I hope I didn’t screw up the ending. And then there’s the title. Is it right, or should I have chosen the other one?

I guess I’ll find the answers to these questions in a few months. Reviewers will tell me.

---

AMAZON