Dear Listener,
Have you ever driven a car at speed on a highway and encountered cross winds which caught your attention and prompted you to focus on keeping the car steady? Sthira (steadiness) which I spoke on weeks ago comes to mind when navigating the cross winds of our lives right now. When driving, you might find your focus on the road increases, speed becomes more consistent, an awareness of other drivers’ movement heightens, all pointed towards a goal of arriving safely, in a reasonable time frame. How to handle this situation in life? What comes to mind is stilling (finding peace) in the heart.
Since I posted last, I’ve been driving quite a bit (a time gobbler!) diverting attention to a few projects which aren’t finished yet. The cross winds I encountered were (figuratively) a combination of delays related to - supply chain issues, people weighted by their workload and what I attribute to the buzz of global/local events (eg: the news). I tend to include the latter because even if someone is not paying attention to current events, it trickles into the fabric of public consciousness and permeates in small ways like supermarket checkout lines or the rhythm of street traffic. The geopolitics of energy eventually reaches the pump, and can easily result in a passing comment, a conversation, a change in driving habits, or a price adjusted good. Any one of these can affect thoughts or feelings. This last piece, in my opinion, has a cumulative effect and impact that is often overlooked.
One project involved coordinating a small collection of workers to install an oversized delivery. This required a team of strangers (to each other) to use complementing skills with clear communication and machinery to problem solve moments such as when the delivery couldn’t pass the road. By the way, we could not send it back. Ingredients that seemed to make it possible included a common purpose, collaboration, little ego, a heap of talent, and one pace-keeper. In the end, despite a few obstacles of external (road conditions) and internal (foot dragging) nature, WE DID IT. A neighbor commented on how hopeful they felt watching strangers come together and work so well as a team. It seemed a symbol of human potential.
Today’s meditation is a response to and a product of moments like this; quieting the mind and heart so these moments can be noticed, experienced, enjoyed.
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