Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Appliances

On the refrigerator I post the horoscopes that I need to remember not just today but every day. Today I am adding this one:

Don't get so wrapped up in your own ideas that you feel you must defend all your opinions with your life. That will take away the flexibility you need so badly. The truth of the matter is that you may not always know the best route to take. Other forces are directing you to a better path.

What! Not rely on my brain? Give my heart and spirit a chance? Or even just be open, not even anticipate what comes next? Take a break? Imagine!

It has been an appliance-focused few days. When the temperature drops below zero, the dishwasher freezes. The on-button brings forth only a low rrr-rr-rrrrr-rr without the background splash, and after a few minutes, my wandering attention snaps back to realize that I need to do something. On cold days, the washing machine drain line freezes, too, but fortunately both yield to a couple of hours application of a portable heater.

Clearly, I have been working too hard. I find myself dancing around the house, singing to myself “I thawed the dishwasher” to the tune of “I told the witchdoctor…”

Ooh. Eee. Oo-ah-ah. Wing-wang-walla-walla-bing-bang.

Hey, Robert, ( http://beginnermind.blogspot.com/ ) how’s that for music in your head? What if you write about music-in-your-head as Zen meditation? What does the witchdoctor say about my head?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Well.

The music in your head *can* be a focus of meditation, however it is easy to get distracted with it and lose the present moment. It is the present moment that is important.

Having said that, there is a lesson in impermanence to be learned in observing the music in your head. As you "listen", with detachment, the music changes, and probably fades in and out. So I would say the same applies to music as to thoughts. You observe it, and then focus your attention back on the breath. If you become attached to the music, you lose focus and the present moment. It is the attachment that becomes a problem. Does this make sense?

As for the witchdoctor (is that one word or two?), the few with which (hee hee) I have come into contact were charismatic frauds. Well, most of them, anyway. One or two I'm not sure about. If I were a witchdoctor, I would say you are possesed. If I was a mental health professional, I would say you are nuts. Either way, I would make money "curing" you, so my diagnosis would be suspect. :)