Ryokan was a real hermit monk and poet, and in a story in 101 Zen Stories he lives in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief gets in and finds there's nothing to steal. Ryokan comes home and catches him. You may have come a long way to visit me, he says, and you shouldn't go back empty handed, and he offers the man his clothes as a gift. The bewildered thief takes them and slinks off, and Ryokan sits naked, watching the moon, wishing he could have given the poor fellow this beautiful moon. An older Japanese account has a thief going for Ryokan's bedding instead, so the book's version may be more legend than record. Somebody will take something small from you today, the parking space or the last of the milk. When it happens, treat them like a guest who's come a long way, and wave them off with it.