Sunday, October 11, 2009

Sunday,Meditation

For the past couple of weeks, the Matron's daily run as taken her past a staggeringly beautiful dead tree. This dead tree--completely without leaf or fungus or any life--finally fell over, courtesy of autumn wind.

The tree is a perfect spiral of black branches, a sea leading out out out. She'd post a picture but her computer is best friends with a gremlin who decided a few days ago that she should never upload another photo again.

This is why she will never age on facebook.

Anyway, she was staring into the mystery of this beautiful dead tree while listening to Eckhart Tolle on Speaking of Faith, when she was struck by the power of this thought: I am alive.

Life is reason enough to be happy. Not just plod through the day, not just live. But be happy. Because one day, life will be over.

Jogging home, carrying the image of the tree, she heard Tolle chuckle about how people hope the future is better--work toward and yearn for the future, as the possible perfect - better--life.

But when the future comes? When the future is actually here, it becomes the present. But the present is the very thing we hope to improve upon, in the future.

The Matron heard the wisdom of this and saw her very own fine self caught in this mousetrap.

And when she got home? Memory of a purchase long past nagged at her - she went to a long forgotten bookshelf and discovered: two books by Eckhart Tolle.

Sunday night reading.

Alive! Alive! Why isn't this enough for us?

6 comments:

Becky Brown said...

What a lovely post. Thanks for the reminder.

SUEB0B said...

I don't know. It certainly hasn't been enough for me lately. I have been walking around in a blue funk, more dead than alive, resenting everything. I hope I can remember soon.

Anonymous said...

Indeed. Any day spent above ground is a good one.

Susan said...

I am always reminded of this when I am sick, which I am right now. (Sniff) Enjoy the days!

Irene said...

It's hard to remember sometimes and it's good to be reminded. The description of the dead tree really did it for me.

Dave said...

Like Zig Ziglar says, "Any day above ground, sucking air and not in a box is a good day".

Thanks for the post and beautiful picture of the autumn leaves.