“I’ve fallen…and I got back up.”

I have had the pleasure of seeing a few people from my childhood this past weekend. They were quick to speak of all of the “bad” things that I used to do and be when I was younger. It made me think of the ESPN NFL interviews of the older football players. In the photos and film footage, stood mean men, swearing, cussing, and spitting on the field as they tried everything to tear the heads off of their opponents. Meanwhile here is this pleasant older looking gentleman with a soft spoken articulate voice speaking of the good old days.

So there I was grimacing about the words that were flying in my direction. In this new direction of Zen, I had to remain flexible in their understanding of who I was now. I think under normal circumstances, I would have been quick to correct the people in front of me about where I am now, but Zen teaching also says “What for?” I haven’t seen these people in years and I do not interact with them on a regular basis. So rather than get upset about their old ideas of who I am, I should be happy about the change from then to now. Surprisingly, my brain did this stress relieving analysis in about 10 secs. It allowed me to smile at my storyteller after the details of my younger life ended.

The pain of the words reflecting my past diminished into a feeling of freedom. I had fallen and I got back up. I was not trapped by a conditioned way of thinking that led me to continue to make bad mistakes. Oh, 18, Oh 21, Oh, I will not go much further in my age, but I have traveled far. I have learned much. It was mostly due to how I felt after I realized what I had done to myself or others along the way. It is a true blessing to have the power to change so much. It is more of a blessing to continue to move toward a more positive light.

Now what? I fall here and there, but mostly because I get clumsy. Not because I am failing to see where I am headed. Does that make sense? Lack of focus sometimes is what makes us human. “High speed this” and “upgrade that” - pulls us away from dealing with the basics which is “self” or for you newbies to Zen, a recharging of self through meditation.

Taking the time in between meditation for rest and reflection will allow us to renew our spirit and make better choices in the future. It gives us a chance to start over or at least a chance to rise after a fall.




....and as a fan of Tim Couch I would like to see him rise after his fall.
(He at least scored a touchdown against the Steelers!)