


Listen to the rock
Talk to the tree
Ask the pillow
Debate with the stapler
Consult the cloud

Does the leaf feel lonely when autumn comes?

Does the cloud die?

Do the rocks have drama llama with one another?

Does the mailbox feel abandoned because everything moved online?

Do books get lonely when nobody opens them?

Does your front door recognize your footsteps?

Does your pillow become a little softer to comfort you when you're sad?

Does the sunset feel a little sadder when you're not there to wave goodbye?

Does the mountain ever wish it could move into the city?

Do the stars have social status, and is the brightest star considered the fairest of them all?

Does the ocean ever get tired of making waves?

Does the bird get jealous that the tree could live longer?

What does the grass think about the tree's shadow stealing its sunshine?

What made the breeze decide to come this way?

Do all snowflakes from the same cloud consider themselves siblings?

Do the seasons ever wish they could trade places?

Does our washing machine have a secret underground tunnel where socks escape during laundry? If not, where do they go?

Does the refrigerator secretly rearrange your food, so you only see things you dislike but are good for you?

What does the umbrella secretly do on all the sunny days?

Does the shadow ever plot to overthrow the person?

Does the pebble wish to become a mountain someday?

​Does the sidewalk remember your name?

What does the bridge think of the cars passing beneath it?

Do raindrops race each other to see who reaches the ground first?

Does silence have a sound?

​If the wind could write a book about everything it has overheard, which country would have the most drama llama?

What does bird wife usually argue with bird husband about?

Does the butterfly envy the caterpillar for being young, while the caterpillar envies the butterfly for being successful?

​Do bees organize a protest for higher wages?

What does the spider out in the yard think of the spider in the house?

Does the ant hold the largest kingdom in the underground world?

Are squirrels secret spy agents for aliens, quietly keeping tabs on humans?

Does the sun also set an alarm to rise every morning?

When the light bulb went out for several days, does the lamp go on vacation?

Does the notebook feel like a failure when too many of its pages remain blank?

How many secrets does your purse know about you?

​Do the keyboard and the screen secretly team up to make you look like a bad typist?

​Does your phone tell the other appliances that it's the king of the house because humans can't live without it?

Does your calendar feel happy because it's your birthday, or sad because you're celebrating somewhere else?

If the mirror likes you, does it make you look prettier?

In the pen world, does the pen that gives its last drop of ink win the race, while the one that runs out halfway is considered a drop-out?

Is a crack in the sidewalk considered a workplace injury, and does the sidewalk receive workers' compensation for six months?

Does the yellow traffic light ever file a discrimination complaint because it always gets the shortest turn?

Does the stapler come out to play at night and forget to come back to its original place in the morning?

Does the spoon also call the chopstick "Asian"?

​Does the rainbow think it's beautiful?

Do clouds ever feel self-conscious about being fat?

Do you think the microwave, tables, chairs, and coffee maker in your lunchroom listen to your stories, then trade them with one another like currency?

​When two countries go to war, which country's soldiers get to enter heaven?

Why do ghosts always wear white?

If clothes can travel to the other side (after life), why do they stay clothes? Why not fabric, cotton, seeds, or even plants?

​Is my happiness the same as your happiness?

Find that secret space that is just yours
One day, the Buddha was walking toward a village with his disciples. As they approached, a group of villagers came out to greet him.
​
One man stepped forward and said, "Master, every teacher who comes through our village claims to know the truth. Each tells us to follow a different path. We are confused. Who should we trust?"
​
The Buddha looked at the villagers for a moment and replied,
​
"Do not believe something simply because you have heard it many times.
​
Do not believe it because it has been handed down through tradition.
​
Do not believe it because it is written in sacred books.
​
Do not believe it because a teacher, elder, or authority says it is so.
​
Do not believe it merely because it sounds reasonable or agrees with your own opinions.
​
Instead, observe for yourselves.
​
When you know through your own experience that something leads to kindness, compassion, wisdom, and the well-being of yourself and others, then embrace it and live by it."
​
The villagers thanked the Buddha. Rather than giving them someone to follow, he gave them a way to discover the path for themselves.
​
​
- Kalama Sutta -
​