Thursday, January 29, 2009

Getting Frosted


How often we get all twisted out of shape about stuff that really is not worth the effort! Someone cuts us off in traffic and we get all angry instead of understanding that there is really nothing we can do about their driving habits. We can only drive our own cars. Some day, in some way, that person will actually have a serious wake up call, but for now, we need to just breathe and let it go. My personal favorite tick off is when people turn onto a street and then hold up traffic trying to turn left through oncoming traffic at a place that is just as easily accessible if they just drive a couple more feet to the corner and turn there, thus freeing up traffic flow. To me, holding up traffic flow, no matter how stupid you are without your coffee, should be ticketed immediately. But I can't drive for them. And I can't drive for the idiots who hold up the oncoming traffic to let them turn left across two lanes of traffic to get into the parking lot of the local coffee shop. I can only breathe.

Now and then I have an experience of reacting before I have a moment to think about the reaction. This never really turns out that well. It might make me feel better for a moment and I usually react in a way that helps educate the other person, but rarely am I actually nice about it in the moment. I am working on that. A Zen Master I am not. But even Zen Masters have been known to slap someone upside the head to shape up their attitude.

Nonetheless, I think that it is much better to not let yourself get frosted about stuff. As the photo above shows us, there are much better things to appreciate about frost. This is the frost on my bedroom window. Although it is a sign of it being really cold out there (the term "Holy Mother of God!" comes to mind), the effect can be quite beautiful. And when I look at something like that I can't help but feel serene inside.

Blessed Be

Trent

www.deerhornshamanic.com
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2 comments:

Gail said...

When I read "Zen Master" I think of the teeny tiny sandboxes with the teeny tiny rakes that are useful tools for us to regain a peaceful outlook. I can then imagine a teeny tiny Zen Master getting ticked off and whacking someone upside the head with that teeny tiny rake for stepping all over the pristine pattern they'd just made in the sand. For the inattention of one, the Master's mandala was lost, for the loss of a mandala, an inattentive person's marbles were lost. What goes around, comes around, yes?

Trent Deerhorn said...

You bet! Rollin', rolliin', rollin'!