I have many things on my mind these days. Last Monday the creek (ditch) next to our house rose in the dark and poured God knows how much water carrying lots of debris against our fence and then 16 inches of water into our basement. Ugh.
On that same morning a young firefighter drowned after saving two people in a flash flood just a few miles from here. He left behind a wife, most likely his parents, and two sons. I keep thinking about him. I keep thinking about the randomness of one courageous person losing his life while two live. And about the comparatively tiny thing of my basement being flooded. My boys all live. My house is intact. By dint of hard work and loans of this and that from friends, my basement is now quite dry and swept clean of debris. And while my water heater needs to be replaced, my furnace needed only a repair and my washer and dryer work! I had feared I’d have to replace all of them. Still, it all seems trivial.
What is it that grants one person good luck and another tragedy? Someone tried to shoot an evil man last night (never a right intention) and killed , instead, an unlucky bystander. The evil one will probably be made stronger by the threat, and so the wrong intention made for a bad outcome in many ways. What are we to do with this?
I watched an amazing gathering of meditation teachers, spiritual leaders really, and activists yesterday. Called “Save Our Democracy,” it was uplifting, inspiring, and beautiful. It was exactly what I was needing. Tara Brach offered the inquiry, “What is love asking of me now?” What a question! Sit with that one for a minute–or an hour.
Roshi Joan Halifax said, “Keep clearing the mind of psychosocial debris.” Yes. So very helpful. We so need to clear our minds these days.
There were so many pieces of wisdom to deepen my thinking, awaken, inspire, connect, and refresh my spirit. I took a few notes but could not keep up. This was something that truly did fill up my heart. You can watch it on YouTube, here.
So my week included a flood of muddy water much like the psychosocial debris that’s been filling our minds lately and I was able to clear it out. Bags and bags of dripping wet stuff I can live without will be parceled out to the roll carts of neighbors on my block on trash day, in the same way that that debris of which Roshi Joan spoke might be parceled out to imaginary roll carts and sent away. There’s a great meditation image for you.
There is randomness, there’s luck, good and bad, and there are ways to move forward. I need reminding, often, about those.
What about the cold showers? you may ask. Well, without a water heater (still) I’ve discovered just how beautiful a cold shower can be. Oh sure, the first few minutes are a little startling, but I’ve found I get used to it pretty quickly and end up lingering in the cold water, feeling more and more rejuvenated. And when I get out? I feel like I could do anything! Look it up! Cold showers are good for us. I’m here to tell you, I can practically feel the endorphins surging through me when I’m finished. Yeehah! Look out, Evil! I’m coming!!
“I don’t do this to change the country. I do it so the country won’t change me.” – A.J. Muste
“Let us awaken. Do not squander your life.” – Roshi Joan Halifax
“You are seen. You are heard. You are appreciated. And you are loved.” – Ceasar F. Barajas
If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. If you enjoy these letters, feel free to forward this one to anyone you think might like it. And if someone forwarded this one to you, you can sign up here to receive the letters right in your Inbox. Finally, you’ll find past letters and poems here.
Thanks for listening,
Kay
P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.”