Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Mary Oliver
It's been rough and rocky travelin', but I'm finally standin' upright on the ground.
After takin' several readings, I'm surprised to find my mind`s still fairly sound...
Willie Nelson
...the bike had been feeling a little strange...I figured something must be loose, but couldn't tell exactly what it was, so thought I’d take it to the bike shop the next day....then, suddenly, while crossing Broad Street, everything kinda lurched...I stopped and saw the frame looked like it had been run over by a truck...broken nearly in half...
...a week and a half later, was riding a different bike...borrowed from a kind and generous friend...through the park, and my wallet fell out of my pocket...though I didn't realize that 'til a couple miles later...turned around to ride up and down that stretch searching under every leaf, but couldn't find it anywhere...
...as if that wasn't enough, the very next day, a car sideswiped me from behind as I rode along the Spruce Street bike lane...
...the frame, as it turned out, was covered by a manufacturer’s warranty...and, since the company didn’t have that model, or an equivalent one, in stock...and, though I rode that bike hard for two years...(seriously...I’m the kinda person bikes’ parents warn them about)...the always helpful guy who runs my local bike shop got them to send me a brand new one...
...and, after riding up and down that two mile stretch of dirt road three or four times, my cell phone rang...I thought please be an unfamiliar number...and it was...turned out the caller was biking along and saw cash all over the ground...picking everything up, he tried to give it to a cop nearby, who said he’d have to put it into evidence and most likely it’d never be seen again...so, the guy went home and googled me for my number...even returned my change...
...the next day, I was pissed off but unhurt picking myself up from the sidewalk...but the woman in the car was crying, saying I’m so sorry over and over to the point that I ended up consoling her....I got a couple scratches, she’s probably gonna need therapy...(though, considering she hit a cyclist in a bike lane, she can be thankful no cops or personal injury lawyers got involved)...
It’s always something—if it’s not one thing, it’s another...
Roseanne Roseannadanna
You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
Willie Nelson
...the bike had been feeling a little strange...I figured something must be loose, but couldn't tell exactly what it was, so thought I’d take it to the bike shop the next day....then, suddenly, while crossing Broad Street, everything kinda lurched...I stopped and saw the frame looked like it had been run over by a truck...broken nearly in half...
...a week and a half later, was riding a different bike...borrowed from a kind and generous friend...through the park, and my wallet fell out of my pocket...though I didn't realize that 'til a couple miles later...turned around to ride up and down that stretch searching under every leaf, but couldn't find it anywhere...
...as if that wasn't enough, the very next day, a car sideswiped me from behind as I rode along the Spruce Street bike lane...
...the frame, as it turned out, was covered by a manufacturer’s warranty...and, since the company didn’t have that model, or an equivalent one, in stock...and, though I rode that bike hard for two years...(seriously...I’m the kinda person bikes’ parents warn them about)...the always helpful guy who runs my local bike shop got them to send me a brand new one...
...and, after riding up and down that two mile stretch of dirt road three or four times, my cell phone rang...I thought please be an unfamiliar number...and it was...turned out the caller was biking along and saw cash all over the ground...picking everything up, he tried to give it to a cop nearby, who said he’d have to put it into evidence and most likely it’d never be seen again...so, the guy went home and googled me for my number...even returned my change...
...the next day, I was pissed off but unhurt picking myself up from the sidewalk...but the woman in the car was crying, saying I’m so sorry over and over to the point that I ended up consoling her....I got a couple scratches, she’s probably gonna need therapy...(though, considering she hit a cyclist in a bike lane, she can be thankful no cops or personal injury lawyers got involved)...
It’s always something—if it’s not one thing, it’s another...
Roseanne Roseannadanna
You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
attributed to Swami Satchidinanda
...in a blog with yoga in the title, this is where you might expect words like karma, grace, or blessings...and wouldn’cha know it, there they are....but I believe in the great mystery of the universe in a very literal sense...i.e. have no idea what’s going on, and try not to pretend otherwise...(though, in the end, suspect it's best to try to be honest and kind)...
...hope you’re doin’ okay, too...
...in a blog with yoga in the title, this is where you might expect words like karma, grace, or blessings...and wouldn’cha know it, there they are....but I believe in the great mystery of the universe in a very literal sense...i.e. have no idea what’s going on, and try not to pretend otherwise...(though, in the end, suspect it's best to try to be honest and kind)...
...hope you’re doin’ okay, too...
17 comments:
I find a sense of humor comes in very handy during times like these and, being a cyclist myself, I can picture myself in every one of these situations. Maybe if all of us did just that, it would help in the mission of kindness. Mother Theresa said,"If we have no peace in the world, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." I think if we could remember this, we would make more attempts to practice kindness and respect.
I enjoyed this post. You are not trying to rationalize or justify your suffering with some Divine scheme. In fact, I am not getting a whole lot of suffering in your words at all. Just mindfulness.
what a week! at least everything, in the end turned out ok. I am shocked that person returned your wallet. It is nice to know there are still honest people out there!Perhaps this was a lesson in humanity - showing us that people are not as bad as we view them as.
You're Even Steven! (from a favorite episode of Seinfeld)
Enjoyed this very much, Jay.
As I was reading, it occurred to me that the serious poet reacts to misfortune like this in the same way a serious practitioner of Yoga does, although perhaps for different reasons. They both move toward the misfortune and watch it more closely, as opposed to running from it.
Bob Weisenberg
It certainly has felt like one of those weeks at times. It is always something. Which is why it's nice to always have the practice! Sense of humor is good too :) Sry about the wallet though!!
ahhh Dr. Jay, loved the Charlie Brown cartoon, he *and I* do relate with you!! sorry life's been strange to you, i've been having a couple of strange days too, somebody came and stole a potted plant from the back of my house last night! it was heavy so they drove and got it... i couldn't believe that somebody would steal a palm here in San Diego, pot & all, oh well, i guess is life's way of teaching us some lessons? glad to know you are OK, i guess if we are breathing, then all of the rest will flow, maybe we can to learn more "detachment" and "trust"
namaste Dr. Jay!
Hee...that's one of my favorite Roseannadanna lines, drjay.
Glad you weren't hurt by the broken frame...one can only imagine how awfully that could've turned out. Sideswiped? In the bike lane? Holy cow. Proof that nowhere's safe. (Recently, two cyclists in the area--different instances--were killed when vehicles drove UP on bike paths and hit them.) So glad you escaped serious injury here, also.
I'm with ya there on having no idea what's going on. I don't believe that "everything happens for a reason," yet believe that random stuff just happens to random folks. However, I do believe (contradicting myself here?) that "what goes around, comes around"...like good fortune finding you, despite your recent mishaps. Ya know, Lucy knows these things, too...she said a while back that you had good karma. And she's pretty smart!
So, what kinda new bike are ya getting?
I've learned that the angels send their blessings in unexpected forms and they usually have a bit of a bite to them. Keep on truckin', my yogabear friend!
@ Brenda, above; YES! He's Even Steven!
You ride. I walk. But we do seem to have crossed into the same realms many times. Good journeying.
Stop me if you've heard this one before...
"There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.
“Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.
“We’ll see,” the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses.
“How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.
“We’ll see,” replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.
“We’ll see,” answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.
“We’ll see” said the farmer."
I love the surfing quote. A similar sailing one - life is a boat. Will you drift, or will you harness the wind and sail?
Keep pedaling!
I'm glad your recent, crappy experiences had humanist outcomes, at any rate! That's good news! BTW, it dawned on me yesterday that I can have a balance disorder and still ride a bike--I just need to get a 3-wheeler! The realization made me much happier, overall. Such a simple thing can so brighten one's mood!
It seems, just for this moment, that I can't find the "cynic" anywhere. The yogi, oh yes, is fully present, but the cynic appears to be busy elsewhere. This is a beautiful piece, Jay. Thanks for sharing it, and you, with all of us!
Bravo, Jay--I always hate it when someone tries to blow sunshine up my ass when the world is pissing rain.
Thanks for keeping it real.
Take care, my friend--I've been thinking of you.
Melinda
Hello
LOng time have passing true...And I really want contact again. I have start a new blog in a different form ...we had Contemplation together and before I called my self Fancy Sweden, I hope that you will visit my new blog.
Love Fancy
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