The Chofetz Chaim and the Spilled Apple Cart
A man tells the Chofetz Chaim his mind wanders in Shemoneh Esrei. The Chofetz Chaim answers with a parable: grab what you can, like the apple seller.
A person once complained to the great tzaddik that every time he davens Shemoneh Esreih, his mind wanders and his whole tefillah is a waste. The Chofetz Chaim asked the man, “And when you realize mid-tefillah that your mind is wandering, what do you do?” The man replied, “By that time the tefillah is already lost.”
The Chofetz Chaim replied, “There was an apple vendor with a cart filled with the delicious fruit. The cart tipped over and animals began grabbing the fruit. The vendor was crying about his plight. Suddenly, a passerby shouted to him, “Don’t just stand there! The animals are grabbing fruit, so you grab, too! Save what you can!”
“So too,” the Chofetz Chaim continued, “you may have lost some blessings to the yetzer ha’ra, but just as he is grabbing blessings, you should grab, too. Even if you only concentrate for one blessing, you have already accomplished a great feat!”