LEAVE IT
TO PEEVER
Words
– Bumper sticker of the week: Artificial intelligence is no
match for natural stupidity.
– Quote of the week: "Make someone happy today. Mind your
own business." Ann Landers
"The
only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."
Julia Child
– Hope: "I sure hope things get better." Hope is one
of those words that can make you lazy. Hope needs to be closely tied to action,
or at the very least, some minute level of initiative. Hope is a good thing to
have, but needs a little help. Hope might be what keeps you going, but it will
eventually wear thin without action. For all the hoping in the world will not
get you a better job, or win you the lotto, or help your spouse to quit
drinking, or make your health better. Oh, there is nothing wrong with thinking
things can get better. But there is something wrong with leaving it at that.
You have to get up off the couch, leave the sporting event or soap opera for
someone else to deal with, and make your hope blossom into reality. Life is
nothing without hope. Hope is nothing without hard work.
– Love: Love is at the heart of life. But it is hard to know
what one means when they say, "I love you," or "I really love
this job," or "I sure love life." Love is a four letter word
that does not like to get pinned down. Love is a lot of things. Love for
parents is different from the love you share with friends. Love between two
lovers is most often what we think about when we think and talk about love.
Here is a love that can taste of sweetness, and in the next instant, burn like
Tabasco. One minute you're in heaven, the next you swear you're in hell. That's
love. It bobs and weaves thru our lives. It speaks to our happiest times and
often to our saddest. Its hold on our heart opens up the possibility to see,
touch, and feel The Great Mystery.
– Faith: "You got to have faith." The question would
be: In what? Most often, having faith refers to having a belief in God. Faith
in God requires a leap into the unknown, the unprovable. For that matter, can
we know anything with certainty? You either believe or you don't. There's not
much of a halfway point. Taking that leap is difficult for a lot of people,
including myself. You want to dive over the cliff’s edge, like a bungee jumper,
but you don't quite trust it. The cord. The distance. The bounce. Generally
speaking, I could use a shove, but that is not how it work. It's you who must
face the doubt and uncertainty. I try to leap across the chasm in two leaps,
but that's not how it works. Faith is a word that has troubled me for a long
time. I seem to find it, and lose it. Find it and lose it.
– The Call: I've heard it all my life, but have not always
answered. It doesn't come on a cell phone, it's not written in a book, or seen on
TV. It comes out of nowhere. It tugs at your heart. It is an invitation to your
soul. It carries with it the promise of freedom. It is what Joseph Campbell
calls, "following your bliss." It is a transformative and sacred
call. As Maimonides, the twelfth–century rabbinic authority, physician, and
philosopher said, "The sound of the shofar calls to us: Awaken, sleepers,
from your sleep, arise, slumberers, from your slumber, and examine your
deeds….look after your own souls, and improve your ways.” Our purpose on Earth
as humans might well be to hear the call and respond. It might take you a long
time to answer: yes.