And a Loose Garment for You

A friend of mine has been in and out of the hospital recently and I went by to visit him today. We spent an hour or so talking about the doctor’s game plan going forward and the possibility he could be there a little longer. While we sat there talking about work and how noticeable his absence is, I was struck by the notion of how lucky I am and the knowing that our roles could easily be reversed in the blink of an eye. We talked quite a while about Faith and Gratitude and how important they are when Life throws you a Koufax style curveball.  We discussed Faith in the outcome, Faith in the good you put out to the world and have it come back to you. Also having the Gratitude for wanting what we have, not necessarily always having what we want. Faith can be a funny thing if I stop to think about it. I ‘m talking about the everyday Faith that is overlooked whether we turn on a light and know it will come on, or getting behind the wheel of a car and having Faith the driver coming in the other direction will stay on his side of the line.  Knowing that and recognizing that makes me grateful for always having examples of things to be grateful for. Where Gratitude gets lost along the way is in not being able to see past the things that occur and forgetting to look at them from another viewpoint; the line at the checkout may be long though I’m grateful I can stand on my own two feet in that line and when it’s my turn be able to the pay the lady and go, or the broken shoelace when I’m already late and instead of getting angry know that I’ve provided myself another pair of shoes as an option, Those are just a couple of the myriad examples that pass through my experience each day. I work at reminding myself each day when I wake in my own bed, in my house, put my feet on the floor and sit up, walk to my own bathroom with running water to wash my face then amble on to my kitchen for a cup of coffee that I am grateful for that and more. Those thoroughly mundane things that if someone was watching a video feed of me in the morning their reaction would probably be, “why am I watching some dude in his skivvies get ready for work, there’s has to be better stuff on this time of morning”, whereas from my side of that lens I see anything is possible today because I can do those things. Some folks aren’t lucky enough to be able do some or any of those things I do each morning; myself I am Grateful that I can.  

            I understand why monks primarily live as they do, as far as possible outside the daily hub bub and white noise we are bombarded with daily; it sure makes it easier to be a thoroughly spiritual individual.  The test for me each day is stay on the right side of Life, Truth and Love and live it out in all my dealings no matters what or who I cross paths with; wearing the world as a loose garment so to speak, which of course is easier some days than others. My wish for you today is that your path includes a loose garment of your own. Namaste.

 

 

Summer's Other Bookend

     Good bye summer, it's been an interesting and enlightening one for sure. Labor Day is upon us once more, the matching summer bookend to Memorial Day, the other day that lets us know its time to switch gears again; another of those waypoints in every year that remind us that change is the only constant. It is amazing how fast another year has gone by and 2014 is 2/3 done already. Summer is winding down, kids are back to school or will be this week, the water in the favorite swimming hole or pool suddenly seems colder than it did two weeks ago and all the plans start for the holidays that will come sooner than we imagine. When I was kid I hated when Labor day was getting close because it meant school was starting. Now this year especially I looked forward to it since I am fortunate to be able to say 3 day weekend. Not everyone is that lucky. Depending on where you live the weather has begun to throw out subtle reminders to let you know change is coming. The nights are cooler, there are more bugs huddled around the back porch light for warmth, the grass is looking a little less brown and a lot more green. Here in Arizona we are slowly moving from frying eggs on the sidewalk days to just plain old hot, though still hot enough to make me glad I no longer have to work outside everyday. The other day my wife and I were in the grocery store and she remarked to me that Halloween stuff is already filling the shelves. I reminded her that before Halloween gets here the decorations will be sharing shelf space with Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff. I laugh when I see the displays hitting the stores two months before a holiday, almost like the retailers think we are going to forget the day is approaching, though I understand the reasoning it still makes me shake my shaggy head. I find I miss New England the most in the fall when the leaves are changing, the days are just warm enough to be perfect for cruising the back roads on a motorcycle, the nights cause you to reach for that extra blanket and the smell of earth rises up to permeate everything that isn't covered by cement or asphalt. It is probably the main reason I prefer taking vacations this time of year if life permits it. Looking forward to spending a few days in upstate New York soon, where the change of seasons will have begun and the trees didn't come on a truck.