The Fisherwoman and Her Basket

There was once a fisherwoman. She would go every day to fish at the
river and then bring her fish to the market to sell. Since she lived
around fish day and night, she didn’t mind the smell.

On her way home one day, there was a cyclone. It was dark already.
Walking back towards her village she met a friend who was a flower
lady. She grew flowers at home to sell in the market. Jasmine, roses,
and so on.

Her friend said, “Sister, it is very late. It is raining very heavily. You
won’t be able to see your way. Please come and stay in my house
until the cyclone passes, and then you can go along to your place.”
In this way, she invited her into her house and they went to bed.

The house was full of flowers. Everywhere you looked there were
flowers.

The fisherwoman became very upset.

“My dear sister,” she said. “I cannot sleep in your house.”
“What’s the trouble, my dear friend? It is very nice here.”
“No, no, no, no. I cannot sleep. The smell is too much! I cannot bear
the smell! Just let me go and bring my fish basket.”
“Yes, yes,” she said. “You please do that.”

So the fisherwoman brought her fish basket into the house, put her
head into it, and comfortably snored until morning.

Everybody wants to stay in the fish market, you see. Nobody realizes
they have lost their sense of smell.

They don’t smell the fish. They are used to it. They are very happy to
live and die in the same marketplace they have always known, you
see. Because they have never smelled the pure aroma of a garden,
most people cannot bear it even if you give them a choice.