Archive for May, 2008

What to do in a Downpour

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

Today I didn’t check my weather forecast before leaving the house. Or rather, I thought, nah, I don’t need an umbrella or a rain jacket. It’s just cloudy. Hah. Murphy’s law at work, as always. So the skies opened up and the rain was so white and heavy I literally could not see while driving on the freeway.

Thus, an unexpected (but welcome) stop at a nearby Starbucks to correct my caffeine deficiency. Then the rain stopped, and I went to the grocery store. When I came out, I found myself in the middle of another deluge. With groceries. And no umbrella. And of course I was wearing my so-not-waterproof shoes. Hey, I needed to wash that outfit anyway….

Point here is that in the midst of the downpour, I decided that I wasn’t going to run to my car because the idea that I would escape the rain shower by hurrying was pointless. I strolled to my car leisurely, soaking up the freshness of the rain on my skin, in my hair, through my clothes.

An unexpected downpour is one of the purest forms of surrender to the present moment. Why? Because a sudden rain shower does all of the things that truly living in the moment is all about: It changes your goals and your perspective. It compels you to let go of your plans and relinquish yourself to the unstoppable force of nature. It’s up to you how you respond to a downpour. You can get angry. You can fret about how your clothes and groceries are going to get ruined and try to hurry to your car to avoid getting wet. Newsflash, people. It’s doesn’t work. Here in Texas, when it rains, it pours, and you get wet. Period. No arguments.

Things happen in life that we don’t expect. Change is inevitable. There’s nothing you can do but ride the wave, enjoy nature’s gift, and let the storm wash away the tyranny of the urgent. So next time it rains, go stand outside and let it free you from the cage of plans you’ve made for yourself. Give yourself up to your destiny of the moment. You’ll rediscover the simple joy of being alive.

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Eggs, Music, and Disney

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

Never underestimate the power of breakfast to inspire great things in your writing (and in your life). I had a flash of inspiration this morning as I was cooking eggs for breakfast, replaying a song in my head from last night’s episode of BSG (Battlestar Galactica), thinking about how interesting and rich Middle Eastern culture is (and what the desert sand must feel like on my face), and picturing a frame from a popular Disney movie. And presto, another piece of my puzzle for my novel has fallen into place. I think.

Perhaps this wonderful idea will end up on the cutting room floor. Perhaps it will serve to be the major thematic underpinning in my currently convoluted and nebulous plot line. Organic writing is very much a process of trial and error. One must be open to any and all ideas, no matter how ridiculous or irrelevant they seem. “Can you believe I have talking turtles?” one of my writing friends said to me as she described her cast of characters for her work in progress. She’s not worried. She’s simply trusting in the process.

And perhaps it should be this way with all aspects of life. Is there a person in your life, someone who doesn’t seem to fit? Just go with it. Receive the gift. Do what you were meant to do. Fulfill your destiny, whatever it is. Or if you don’t know what your destiny is, just be who you are. Sooner or later it all will make sense.

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Embracing the Future

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

I think we all wonder and worry about our future. Whether we’ll have enough money for retirement. Whether our kids will grow up to be responsible adults. Whether our relationships will stand the test of time. What our career path holds for us, and what additional hardships we will face along the way.

This year is a watershed year for me, and, like many of my friends I’ve talked to, it seems to be a year for change. Radical change. Something in the world is moving, groaning, crying out for transformation, renewal, and hope. Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, I have evolved in so many ways.

One thing I’ve come to realize is that most people spend way too much time regretting the past or worrying about their future. But the only thing you can control is how you respond to the present moment, the here and the now. Life would be so much richer for most of us if we concentrated on being fully in our present. We need to strive to fill each moment of our lives with all of ourselves—to embrace each experience, whether good or bad, to feel each emotion, to drink in each sensation, to appropriate each gift that we are given.

We need to stand in the present moment, grounded in who we are, with our arms open wide to welcome our future. Can you feel your future coming to you? Wait for it. Feel the winds of your destiny coming to meet you. Smell the change in the air. Be patient, and the gift will come to you. Your kindred spirits will draw near. Be in the present. Fill your present, and your joy will shine from within you.

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