Thaings

I pick up trash while I'm walking and occasionally come across something wonderful. Once I found a small slip of paper, on which someone (I suspect an older child) had written, "This is not going to work." In response, in a younger child's writing, was this: "It will if you THINK it will".

The other day I picked up another scrap and on it was, "Thaings I wish could have Happen." There was nothing on the list, just that title. Don't we live much of our lives in pondering thaings we wish could have happen? Along with those we wish hadn't happened and others we dream still may happen. The same thing was happening in the Buddha's world 2500 years ago. Because we are planning animals (one of the few advantages we have over our predators) and can analyze our past actions and make corrections ("Almost got eaten that time, better revise my hunting technique!"), this kind of thinking is hardwired into us. Unfortunately, if not used for survival, these ways of using our minds lead directly and inevitably to suffering, which the Buddha defined as everything that is not in this moment.

After all, we know what the ephemerality of the moment is. I was just speaking with a friend today about this: who we thought we would be ten years ago isn't even close to today's reality, which means we have absolutely no idea who (or where or how) we will be ten years from now. Dead? King of the World? Who knows? Who cares? Much better to tell that outrageous fellow chattering away in my head to take a break so I can enjoy the moment in which I am existing instead of pondering and kvetching about future and past, that's what I think.

Had a birthday. I am 57. I don't feel that old, except first thing in the morning, when I feel 157. I had a good birthday week. I didn't do anything all that exciting, but that's fine with me—exciting is exhausting! Among other things, I got a Panda Popper (he shoots that little purple ball across the room and does so with a satisfying "pop!").

I was complaining about the freezer not being a freezer last week, and during my birthday week (the day before my birthday, actually), that was finally fixed. Our freezer actually has frozen food in it! Imagine that!

And, best of all, we finally got our new front stairs. I paid the company who did them (and then redid them) yesterday. What a load off my mind. Here they are: Ain't they pretty?

Point being that thinking about "thaings I wish could have happen" did me absolutely no good while I was going through all that turmoil; they took care of themselves in their own good time.

I live a good life. So do you. It is enough. And more than enough. It will work if you think it will.