Opening Up

Good Morning,

Many times in life I find myself getting caught up on the roller-
coaster of day to day life and sometimes (like many) I simply want to
step off for a while. You may ask what's wrong with that? Nothing
it's a simple fact of life and we all feel that way at some point or
another in our lifetime. Where we trip ourselves is in getting caught
up with enjoying only certain parts of the ride and our tendencies to
avoid the those that we dislike. Often for me, many of the moments I
kick or struggle the most or those where I have some preconceived
notion of how my day should go, how many items I can clear off my to
do list, or why I cannot connect with others. When these things do
not manifest according to "my" plan there is always this feeling of
disappointment. I still have days like that, but they come and go and
I am OK with that now. I have learned the valuable lesson of simply
being available to each day and what it brings, to flex with it a
little more, to let it happen, then let it go. To become open to the
possibilities instead of trying to control the situations.
Once, a professor went to a Zen Master. He asked him to explain the
meaning of emptiness. The Master quietly poured a cup of tea. The cup
was full but he continued to pour. The professor could not stand this
any longer, so he questioned the Master impatiently, Why do you keep
pouring when the cup is full? I want to point out to you, the Master
said, that you are similarly attempting to understand emptiness while
your mind is full. First, empty your mind of preconceptions before
you attempt to understand emptiness.

if your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to
everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in
the expert's mind there are few."--Suzuki Roshi

Peace and Love, Jim