Simple & Elegant

Few things move me like the simple and elegant. The complex and opaque seem mostly contrived. Like using the force of a double-jack to make the square peg fit into the round hole. Might may very well equal right, but it is messy and promotes fear. Sometimes they, the simple and elegant, come in waves. Whether this is due more to their eternal flow or my limited span of attention, catching glimpses as they pass, is another debate. 

I am reading a wonderful little collection of stories about enlightenment. Titled Buddha in a Teacup, the tales all contain, at one one point or another, a reference to tea. Tea has long been a metaphor for calm, serene and the deep appreciation of the present moment. The stories themselves are quite unremarkable, regular people going about their lives, until something extraordinary flies past them like the shadow of a bird. They are snippets of real life with one additional ingredient added to the mundane mix. There is suddenly a heightened sense of urgency, meaning and awareness. There is insight, gratitude and awe. All because and all about the most simple and therefore the most elegant things that have magically appeared smack dab in front of our consciousness. The way the early morning sunshine turns the coastal fog into a cobalt blue canvass of joy. Communication with a dog. Putting all your eggs into the basket of love. All this expressed on Socrates’ calling card in Millman’s marvelous Peaceful Warrior saga with three words: Paradox, Humor and Change. 

These are tales of enlightenment. Knocking on the door of eternity with trembling hands and open hearts. The password is awareness. By being present, fully awake, totally truthful and honest, ready to accept whatever the cosmos brings our way, and respond with gratitude and joy, puts us as close to the light as our fragile souls can bear. Until the next opportunity comes along. My experience is that we get better with practice. 

I again woke this morning with a full plate. There are things to do, places to go, people to see. My Honda wheel, a court mitigation, shopping, workout. Yet, the power I feel right now is that of adventure and change. Because it is up to me HOW I do all these chores. I can complain about it, resist it, rebel against it and blame others for my (our) predicament - or I can glide through these simple tests with a smile and a song. 

So simple and so elegant.

IF I TRULY WANT TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE I MUST BEGIN BY MAKING MYSELF A BETTER PERSON. For as we have learned when we change a part of the whole - we change the whole.

It is not complex and it is crystal clear.