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I suspect that the number one reason that lawnmower repair people exist is because there’s a large volume of people who can’t or don’t want to repair their own lawnmowers.  

That’s right; I came up with that all on my own.  Call me Socrates.

Nobody wants to break their lawnmower…that’s why most people don’t try to fix it.  If you break it, then somebody else has to fix it…parts, labor, time out of commission…the whole bit.  If you don’t break it, then somebody else has to fix it…parts, labor, time out of commission…the whole bit.  See that?  Same bit.  Same situation.  Same outcome.  Maybe the cost is lower if you don’t try to fix it yourself.  And maybe it is easier and takes less time to drop it off somewhere, go about your day, then return later on to pick up your newly-repaired lawnmower.

So, don’t bother fixing it yourself.  Let the qualified repair person fix it.

I read the best quote today:

Father: “Who taught you that?  Do they teach you that at school?”

9-year-old programming prodigy, exasperated: “No, Daddy!  You can teach yourself that.”

Is there anything that we cannot teach ourselves?  I suspect not.  I think that the number one thing that keeps us from teaching ourself something new, out of interest or out of necessity, is fear.  I am talking about fear of breaking the lawnmower.

Remember, the worst that can happen when your lawnmower stops working is that you try to fix it, break it, and pay for it, literally, in your local currency.  If you have to buy a new one altogether…ouch.  That sucks.  A good lawnmower isn’t cheap.  But, that’s it.  That’s all that happens.

But…if you muster up a little courage and start loosening screws…  

You might just wind up fixing that lawnmower.  Maybe, just maybe, with the help of a friend on the phone, a video on Youtube, and some articles online, you might actually wind up fixing the lawnmower.  Sounds silly, huh?  A grown man having an epiphany because he got a 12-year-old lawnmower working again?  Hey, it happens.

All too often, the very worst that can happen if you go ahead and try something for yourself is that you might wind up having to say, “Honey…I broke the lawnmower…”

The best?  From something as trivial as fixing a lawnmower?  Who knows.  Who knows what can happen when you prove to yourself, for the umptillionth time, that you can pretty much teach yourself to do anything…

On most Friday nights, there’s a lot of commotion caused by little boys.  Hooting.  Hollering.  Screaming.  Crying.  Stomping.  Laughing.  All kinds of noises, all mixed up.  They are the sounds of my family, and they are good.  However, a the end of some weeks, on some Friday nights, I’d prefer a little more…tranquility.  Just a break, you know?  Mommy and Daddy deserve a break.

On the occasional Friday night, we get that break.  All the commotion is elsewhere.  I love those boys, but…for Pete’s sake…the silence is good.

Oh, I’ll miss them by tomorrow afternoon, I’m sure, but, for now, I’ll enjoy the silence of the occasional Friday night.

Everything ends. Period.

Everything has a rhythm.

Tick-tock.

There is a clock somewhere counting down the hours. When the hands wind down, time will be up.

All done.

Nothing matters, at least not in the way we think at times. Impermanence keeps the playing field level over time.

So wait out the storms. You can do it; you were built for that. Ride the tide. Follow the current. Go with the flow. Take charge at the appropriate times; give when the moment calls for it. Feel the rhythm of the clock.

Tick-tock.

Be free, my friend. Don’t let these things weigh you down. They will end tomorrow. Then, you can show everyone how astonishing you really are!

Tick-tock.

It’s sort of odd to have an epiphany while watching television. It’s downright embarrassing to have an epiphany watch “Dancing with the Stars,” but that’s what happened to me tonight.

It’s really quite simple: the trick is to end on the beat.

Here’s what happened: the couples practiced a dance but got their actual music 45 minutes before the time they had to perform their dance. Somehow, each couple pretty much got up there and nailed their dance. There were two things that struck me most about how the evening ended up.

First, the amateurs were forced to let go of their regular attachment to a specific song and allow their dancing instincts to take over. They had to let the steps the had learned flex and fit into the music being played. It was pretty cool to watch “flow” at work: bring present in the moment allowed the dancers to sublime into the rhythm of the music.

Second, every dance ended on the beat. True, some performances were better than others and some endings tighter on the last beat, but the overall effect was the same. Regardless of skill set, the dancers, pros and amateurs alike, did what they had to do in order ton hit their mark and finish on time. It was impressive.

So, the epiphany: we almost always know our steps but our lack of confidence can keep us from realizing and fulfilling our potential. We know the steps. We can adjust to the music and hut our marks. We can flow with the rhythm and match our footwork to the tempo. And, most importantly, we can be flexible, adjusting our dance to end on the last note.

I think the measure that has the most meaning is ending on the beat.

It is very easy to get caught up in the mile markers along the road.  There’s no doubt about that.  It’s hard, though, to remember that there’s an on-going journey that doesn’t end.  Well, maybe it ends when you take the proverbial dirt nap.  Then again, maybe it doesn’t.  I’m not going to argue that point either way.  What I will argue is that the whole journey thing just doesn’t end.  Sorry.  I don’t mean to exhaust you.  You’re just going to be in a state of constant movement down a particularly path for the rest of your life.

Rather than create a sense of despair, futility, and loss of control, I think there is something comforting in knowing that movement will be a constant throughout my life.  I won’t ever get bored because things will always be changing.  I won’t have to worry about not having something new to see or do.  Every day I wake up, there’s something unexpected in store.  I like that idea.  The Universe is swirling around me, and that suits me just fine.

Stagnation is a state of mind, at least in the way I am using it.  Stagnation is the very conscious decision to ignore the ebb and flow of the Universe and generate the illusion of time standing still.  It takes energy and force of will to block out the generous, life-giving flow of Everything, and expending that energy will drain you.  The feeling of being drain will increase the desire for the illusion, and the illusion will demand energy.  Soon, the illusion and the demand for energy take their toll on the individual…that would be you and me and some other people you know…and the individual is left with plenty of reasons to rage against the injustices of a stagnant Universe.

Of course, that’s a lie.  The Universe moves.  We have to appreciate the movement and recognize it as the very nature of our existence.  We can glide gracefully with the flow if we so choose.  When we so choose, we can open our eyes and remember that life is one continuous journey and that the milestones and gates are artificial constructs of a mind rooted in the world of form.  

 

Choose to look beyond the mirage and remember the journey is everything.  Everything and a bag of chips.

If it so pleases the court, I offer into exhibit the following:

– that distraction is the enemy of us all
– that distraction has been deliberately usurped by the enemy of all acts of creation and works of art
– that distraction has a new meaning that implies you deserve to allow yourself to succumb to it
– that distraction is a form of respite from an otherwise troubling life
– that distraction would lead you to believe that you are incapable of finding your own antidote to the whirlwind of modern life
– that distraction must be exposed for the insidious, withering evil that it is
– that your spirit needs liberation of the heart and focus of the Higher Self to find true replenishment
– that your spirit longs for opportunities to concentrate your mental faculties on what is good in your life, not the distractions of what you COULD have if you were skinnier, more muscular, smarter, or the owner of a snazzy hot rod
– and that distraction sucks energy from your moments and us in reality the antithesis of what a weary spirit craves: relaxation

It is my belief that relaxation is the state of present, centered being wherein all distraction has been banished. It is tranquility and stillness; quiet and calm; light and love.

Don’t allow yourself to be fooled into believing that anything you can buy or that can be bought for you will give you that state of being. It isn’t something that can come from outside yourself, in my experience. A gift you are not ready to receive isn’t worth nearly as much as we would want to believe, so don’t put the accountability for your happiness into the hands of another. Worse, do not abdicate ownership to forces outside and beyond your control.

Instead, recognize that the relaxation for which you are longing starts with you. It lives inside of you, and you must claim it from within before you can allow itself to manifest externally. Only then will you be able to truly enjoy the release and return to balance you deserve.

Sometimes a glass of wine helps. I’m just saying.

Every now and then, I find myself jumping through hoops and being grateful that the Universe is putting hoops in my path through which jumping is necessary.  They provide a sort of gating system that slows down the pace, giving you an opportunity to think about what you are doing.  The rewards and the risks aren’t always evident, particularly when life is rushing by at a frightening speed.  The hoops give you the pause to contemplate them.

Of course, all the thinking just makes you want to vomit on your shoes with anxiety.  While vomiting serves a biological purpose, suppressing the gag reflex is a pretty good skill to acquire and practice.  I find that I perform best and am most credible as an individual and decision-maker when I am able to control the flow of fluids out of my body.  That is not to say that there is not an appropriate time and place for said flow or that individuals who succumb to such flow are somehow not as worthy of all of life’s bounties as I am.  No, all I am trying to say is that I prefer to avoid vomiting in public.

But that’s not the point.  The point is that I have fallen victim to the desire to get from here to there are quickly as possible.  I am as guilty as the next person of wanting to be done with the torture of waiting.  However, I like to remain chill under most circumstances, and when I lose that chill factor, I tend to regret it.  The Universe knows this, so it caters to me.  Well, not exactly caters.  That would imply that the Universe revolves around me, which, incidentally, I have been told on more than one occasion it does not.  I get that.  All I’m saying is that the Universe gets that I am best when chilled, so I uncannily find myself in the position to be chill when I need it most.  And right now, I need to be chill.  Like a good bottle of red wine, I am best enjoyed when slightly lower than room temperature.

Jumping through hoops isn’t always a bad thing.  In fact, there are times when it’s exactly what you need to keep yourself sane.  And chill.

The man on the TV said, “I’ve worked hard to get where I am today.  I’ve paid my dues.  I have a nice family, a beautiful wife, a good job.  I just want to coast now.  I’ve earned my spot.  Now it’s time to keep things steady.”

He couldn’t have been older than 32 years old.

Maybe my problem is that I don’t have a vision for what it’s like to “make it.”  I guess it’s probably a pretty good feeling to get there, to feel like you’ve accomplished what you set out to do for your life.  I’m thinking that the man on the TV had every reason to feel completely satisfied and content.

The only problem is that his wife didn’t feel the same way.  She didn’t marry this complacent guy.  She didn’t marry a guy who just wanted to coast through life.  She married a guy that was interested in her as a person.  She married a guy who had ideas and dreams.  She married a guy who wanted to build a life with her.  This new guy…she isn’t digging his disinterested, coasting self.

I have a hard time believing that the thought of coasting for 50 or 60 years is really appealing to anyone.  No, I think that accomplishing a monumental life goal is terrifying.  Notice I said “accomplishing,” as in “I have now accomplished,” or, “I am accomplishing as we speak.”  I didn’t say “the path to accomplishing” or “undertaking our life’s work” is terrifying.  I think that the act of finishing something that you started is terrifying because it begs the question, “What next?”

Complacency is a symptom of fear.  Coasting is a symptom of fear.  Even contentment is mostly a symptom of fear.  When we are afraid, we freeze; we’re talking roverbial “deer in the headlights” action.  We do this because moving is risky.  Getting past the current accomplishment entails wide open territory, a new beginning to a new tale, the start of a new chapter.  And the hardest part of starting all over again is facing the fear of not making it to the destination this time around.  So, the only viable option is to just stand still.

Or coast.  

The man on the TV wants to coast.  His wife doesn’t.  Neither do I.