Mop Water
There was once a thirsty man who had never tasted water.
He wondered at his thirst and had spent much of his life searching for something to quench it.
One day, when he felt particularly thirsty, a friend told him about the Temple of the Holy Mop Water. His friend asked if he would like to be introduced to the rector.
Not having much else on his plate, he said that he would.
The rector was a considerate, elderly man with passionate eyes, and told him all about how, in the mythical past, the Divine Janitor gave the world Holy Mop Water to drink, and how it slakes the peoples’ thirst and provides them with all that they need, both for the now and hereafter.
And so the man drank the mop water, and while his thirst was somewhat quenched, it also made him feel a bit queasy. It didn’t sit well in his stomach.
After a time, however, he grew accustomed to the uneasy feeling in his gut, and how, at times, he felt like wretching. He was grateful nontheless that his throat was no longer parched.
After the old rector passed away, the man was elevated to his seat as a reward for his many years’ unwavering devotion to the temple.
One day, as he was walking along a dusty road, he met a wise man carrying a bucket of clean drinking water drawn from a well.
The wise man offered him a mouthful of his water so that he might notice the difference between clean water and mop water.
And while this new water was indeed refreshing and tasted delightful, he had become so accustomed to the queasiness that inevitably followed the drinking of water, that he no longer could separate the two sensations.
He said to the wise man, “While your water has unexpected qualities, it does not cause the discomfort I associate with the alleviation of thirst.
“And furthermore, if I accept your water, how can I reconcile it with the doctrine of our Divine Janitor, and how His Mop was guided by Angels to purify the floor of the world?
“You must go your way, and I must go mine.”
The two men never spoke to each other again.
ABOUT WRITING OF THE WEEK
Each week, to keep the creative juices flowing, I will write something (who knows what?). It will probably be a draft and require some additional love, so please be forgiving. I invite you to join me on this journey. I will try to publish something every Monday.