Zen Thoughts

There's a book called Zen Shorts. Eva frequently requests that it be read to her and I find that I have begun using some of the 'punchlines' as a quick way to deliver a lesson. Most often, I find myself saying "I put her down hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?"


Today proved to be a great example of the lessons found in the stories titled "The Farmer" and "Uncle Ry".


The Farmer:

It was after 1am when I went to bed this morning. Although my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of room renovations, schedules, and just needing to get some sleep, I was physically exhausted. I watched the minutes pass by and opted to continue watching rather than getting up and setting the alarm. 

After all, Xander is always up before the alarm. How fortunate I am to have a child with a built in alarm clock! I don't have to rely on a mechanical one. Maybe.


He didn't wake up this morning. I actually had to wake him up, in a bit of a panic, because we needed to be somewhere at 8:30am. How unfortunate! Maybe.


As we approached the friend's house, I realized I didn't actually know which one was hers. I had never been there before! Xander was already worried about being late that when we arrived in the neighborhood, he ran up to the first door and rang the bell. He seemed to have forgotten how shy he usually is and took a big risk. It paid off too, because it was the correct house. How fortunate! Maybe.


I think you get the idea and rather than going through all the fortunes and misfortunes of the morning (seeing a movie, but tickets being sold out so the friends we planned to meet could't get in, etc) to the real back and forth crux of the story.


Fortunately, we made it to the gas station from the theater on what probably amounted to fumes. Unfortunately, when I tried to turn the car back on so we could leave, it opted to not work. Fortunately, when I informed the lady waiting in line behind me, she had two grown sons who kindly pushed the car from out in front of the pump for me. They even tried to help me. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. We had to walk the three or four blocks back home in the high heat and humidity. The children were unhappy about that, but even more upset that we wouldn't be able to go to their play date without transportation. Fortunately, a friend from Xander's school happened to see us walking and stopped to see how he could help. Handing over my car keys, he went to the car and got the children's car seats for me so we could attend the play date.


And so the day continued.


Our fortunes were all mixed up with our misfortunes. But one without the other would have drastically changed our story and resulted in missed opportunities. We experienced the generosity of strangers and friends alike. We walked the path less traveled and witnessed nature in unexpected and awesome ways. The kids napped in the car for nearly 40 minutes. (Okay, that was a perk mostly for me.)


Uncle Ry:
In between the tragedies and celebrations of the day, my children were given the moon. Not the literal moon or even anything resembling the physical rock caught in the Earth's gravitational pull. Rather, they received a thank you card from strangers for their generosity. "People are really that happy when we give them my old clothes and toys?" Xander asked, bewilderment, joy, and a beautiful understanding lighting his eyes.


Much like Uncle Ry, who had few material possessions to give, the family gave my children the moon.