The Bricks of Practice

Nothing like new opportunities to put some spring back into one’s step! Two exciting - all things being relative - fresh and challenging options have manifested. True, both come from the result of past efforts, a marketing campaign, the manufacturing of consent and several far away planets being properly aligned, but, I consider that to be a natural progression of sorts, maybe even a life-time body of work providing a resume-like foot in the door. It quite possibly could be sheer luck, good karma or that magical circumstance of being in the right place at the right time. I don’t know. What I DO know is this: That opportunities happen in relation to other events being set in motion, and as long as one keeps pressing, continues to pursue the dream, walks the walk and plants the seeds, one day, somebody somewhere will agree to the affirmative. The secret being to tirelessly, joyfully if at all possible, push the agenda in the right direction. The direction is confirmed daily and reinforced with every dedicated, disciplined, focused and purposeful act of perpetuation. In other words, every time we practice. 

If one’s passion is writing, if she, with all her heart and soul wishes to ‘tell her story’ then she must commit to taking the steps necessary to achieve her lofty goals. She must write. And read the writings of others. And write some more. 

If one’s passion is music, if he, with all his heart and soul wishes to perform live or score a rock opera, he must be willing to practice scales until, as Lennon, or as some say, Ringo, once lamented, ‘I’ve got blisters on my fingers.’ 

If one’s passion is athletics, if that one wishes with all their heart and soul, to be the best, win that event, claim that prize or find their true potential, then one must practice their sport, activity or event, every day with specificity and consistency. Twice if you’re serious and three times if you’re a triathlete. (Talk about blisters!)

The reason I am reviewing these obvious statements is, besides the fact that they are as close to altruistic constants as one can get at the place and time of our use, is that today is the final day of 2019, a perfect time to course-correct our trajectory and head into 2020 with a full head of steam, firing on all cylinders and with a lifetime’s worth of momentum. 

I have found that it takes very little to prime this pump, to jump-start a person who possess at least an idea of what achievement looks like. Someone, perhaps someone just like yourself, knows what they want, but for reasons unknown, or possibly as obvious as decay, distraction, hopelessness, addiction or disease, cannot quite maintain their footing along the path. They start, become frustrated or bored and run back to the safety and security of their DIY comfort zones. Never to be seen or heard from again, because in the circles where we hang, we hang with like-minded others usually with a positive vibration and attitude greater than our own. If you want to go slummin and crash the dive bars, that is your choice. One positive word or a sincere invitation to press onward is sometimes all it takes. 

Our choice is to make the best world we can possibly build for ourselves and those we love. We do this by daily practice. In exactly the same way that the writer, the musician or the athlete hones his or her craft on a daily basis, so do we. We practice compassion. We practice kindness. We practice service. We clean our bedrooms,  make pancakes for the kids and police the neighborhood. We do not, for political reasons, add insult to injury and pile additional suffering and hardship upon at-risk, compromised, 'different’ or ‘weak’ individuals. We feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. We respect the spirit in all of God’s creatures. 

This becomes our practice. We do it every day. With the passage of time, today is a perfect example, we augment our existing experience with the power of a new opportunity, a new day with which to smile broader, laugh together louder and invent new ways to make our lives better. Better for all. Every single one.  

Let’s lay one brick upon another. One today and one more tomorrow. Like the tea ceremony, lay the bricks with attention, awareness and gratitude. Make each one the most important. Lay them with all your heart and soul. 

This is our opportunity and this is our practice. 

Happy New Year my friends.