Life goes on no matter what happens to me. Nothing stops. The planet turns. People go to work. The buses, trains and planes are arriving and departing. Someone once said to me that men are like buses. If you miss one, you can always catch the next. We have one life. We can’t have another – unless you believe in reincarnation. Even then, it is not a sure thing. I rather bet on a sure thing, this one precious life. I want to live it the best I can.
We are one collective breath, breathing in or out of rhythm. I rather be in tune with the earth and cosmos. I’ve been out of synch too long. I’ve had a few aha! moments. I’ve said I would do better. I do and then I forget – again. I’m saying it again now. I don’t know what number this is, but it is the truth of life. That’s why they say it is a learning experience. I shan’t beat myself about another failure. I shall stay aware and do my best until I forget again. I’ve always come back and try again. I am a success story.
So here’s the thing, the stories we tell about ourselves. I’ve had to learn to tell different stories. The old ones weren’t working. They bought me down into a dark abyss. The walls were too slippery for me to climb out of. I don’t want to stay there. I started to call myself the little train that could. I toot my whistle. I switch onto a different track. I want to get to a different place.
So here I sit, still tapping about trains, buses and planes. I’m brainstorming and dreaming of new possibilities. I try not to overthink everything but just be in this moment. I try not to do anything and everything. It’s all right to be still and silent. I listen to the sound of one hand clapping and look at that hole in the donut. I will relax, breathe and contemplate on my navel. I will put one foot in front of the other till the end.
Lily, I love reading your story. I reminds me of life’s journey and how it is much the same for all of us that are aware that we are in fact alive at this moment. It has been years since I have thought about listening to the sound of one hand clapping. I first started thinking about that back in the ’50s. Wow, how time flies. I just looked up my life expectancy according to the USA Social Security charts. It tells me I have 8.7 more years. I always like beating the odds but on the slim chance that they are right, I will spend some time today in the kitchen baking some different foods and being creative and perhaps making a few keto everything bagels because that is one place where my mind is at rest. Where all the mind clutter is gone and I can think clearly about life’s journey. Keep on sharing your train ride. Reading your articles helps keep me focused.
Thank you, William. I’m trying to keep focus also. One thing about baking bread is that it is very physical and has many steps. I can’t skip through them like a book which I often do. Sometimes I read the beginning and then the ending. The middle never gets read. I’ve never tried bagels though.