In my heart of hearts I believe we are all connected.  Unfortunately, my egoic mind, my persona if you will, often struggles with this concept.  Sometimes it needs a reminder.  And that is just what happened some years ago that resulted in the following writing – which I reflect on from time to time…..and share with you now – especially since it is the season for reflection and honoring our fellow humans:

“We must become in our lives the very things that we choose to experience in our world.”  ~ Greg Braden
My devotional reading for the morning of February 6^th, 2008.  Okay.  What did I want to become? What thing would I choose to experience in the world?  Thought provoking.  I searched for a word.  Harmony.  Yes, harmony.  That was it.  I settled on that word.  And so it would be.  I set out to BE harmony.  I meditated blissfully on this delightfully fluid word, humming its syllables over and over in my mind all during my allotted time for meditation.  Heavenly.  I moved on into my usual morning routine feeling “all floaty” and nice — breathing – thinking of harmony – in the shower, dressing for the day, making my morning tea, checking my email, and on into the car.  I was connected to every thing and every thing was connected to me.  I continued to think of harmony as I navigated the rush hour traffic.  I was so euphoric that I could not be fazed by anything.  What a wonderful day I would have.  I would be so harmonious that happiness would roll through me and out to every single person throughout the day.  I would grace the world with harmony.

Suddenly a faded blue car sporting a bashed in fender, a cracked windshield, and filled with junk and a distracted driver veered into my lane.  The crazy driver gestured rudely at me and honked her horn.  And what did I do?  I yell, “%$#@!” – feel free to insert your own expletive.  Or maybe I had only yelled it in my head. At any rate, it was there. And what had I ever done to her?  I was just driving along, minding my own business, staying in my own lane.  My “harmony” seemed to have vanished. So much for meditation, right?

Hmmmm…………so what happened to all that harmony?  And, oh, yeah:  am I connected to that?!?!?  I am shocked to realize that indeed I am (yikes!).  After all, I had gone from “harmony” to “%$#@!” in an instant. Yep. The blue car occupant and I were both a mess.

I continued on the road with the blue car ahead of me now.  I watched the driver gyrating as if she was dancing to music, leaning down to fish something from the front floorboard and then leaning over across the front seat, still looking for something — all the while weaving from lane to lane.  A wild woman with big hair and loud lipstick and I imagined a loud mouth.  I am unnerved by her and her antics.  But I collect myself and consider our connection.  I no longer feel harmonious.  Bliss has burst like a delicate bubble against a rusty nail.  So much for harmony, right? 

When I get to where I’m going I look up the word “harmony”.  Among the definitions I find this:  “any simultaneous combination of tones”.  I begin to chuckle and end up laughing right out loud. Miss Blue Car and I were in harmony after all.  Peace and chaos all rolled into one.  Harmony indeed!  (originally written on February 6^th, 2008)

Merry Christmas, dear Readers. May your holiday season be harmonious.  🙂