As a primary care doc, sometimes I would tell this story to plant a seed of hope in my patients- that perhaps their lives can go differently, if they choose.
I embellished the diamond analogy that Anita Moorjani wrote about in her book, Dying to be Me.
We are all born with a diamond inside of us. Every one of us has a diamond – given to us by whomever you believe in or have hope in- be it God, Buddha, Allah, the Universe, or perhaps Love itself. If you think about babies- they are never really sad, they are beautiful and pure. Perhaps they remember the inherent joy with which they are born. However, in life sometimes, be it our families or situations or neglect, dirt starts to get on this diamond, which has always been inside of us. And over years and years, so much dirt accumulates on our diamond, that we forget it even existed or that it’s even there.
I wonder if life is about taking care of yourself, so that you gradually peel off the layers and layers of dirt, so that you remember that you have always had this diamond inside of you- this innate knowledge, truth, and love. It’s never been elsewhere, it was always inside of you – to remember and discover. Maybe we all have our own keys to our happiness and the answer is within us. And when this diamond is shining brightly again, it can guide you to where you need to go, so that you become who you are meant to be. Perhaps with this recognition that we are strong, that we have always been strong, it’s easier to remember that the horrible thing we are going through in life right now, may not actually be something meant to bury us, but perhaps a horrible storm to ride through. But in order to ride through storms, you have to make sure that you have enough- that you take care of yourself enough so that you are not half in the water and half in the boat w great risk of drowning. But securely in your boat, so that there is no chance of capsizing. And when you ride out this storm, your rainbow is waiting.