Illuminate by living

 The hiker, solar browned, wind-chapped, and trudging to re-supply at Toulumne Meadows, came upon a man seated near the trail. He had ¼-peck wood baskets placed around him with apples for sale. 

He carefully chose one at a time, scrutinized it, then used a clean cloth to hand polish it to a radiant brilliance. He then looked at his reflection in the apple skin, either nodding approval and adding it to a basket with a 'yes' sign on it or placing it in one of the 'no' baskets behind him.

The hiker politely began speaking: "What are you doing?"

The man replied: "I am polishing apples."

"Why?"

"With each polished apple I sell, I believe that I am demonstrating gratitude for all that my spiritual practices have brought to me, and I consider the polished apples as a gift to the spiritual teacher within each of us."