Shit Happens...YAAAY!

Ah, the interesting experiences of Dharma gates. It is very interesting to me that most Dharma gates (ways in which the Universe teaches us lessons) are unpleasant in nature. I'm not going to go into discussing the latest lesson the Universe is teaching me, but I can say that the mantra, "Gate Gate Paragate Parasam gate Bodhi Svaha" is really coming in handy!

A couple interesting things came up while talking with my mother this morning. I often say about dance that, "Social dancing is a series of mistakes that is linked by the occasional correct movement." What this saying points to is that the creative aspect of Dance lies in recovering from that which was introduced unexpectedly. If no unexpected events happened in dancing, then one would only be a robot of the dance floor...there would be no reason to be creative.

The same is true of life, "Life is a series of mistakes (unexpected events) linked by the occasional correct action." The creative force of living happens in how we respond to the unexpected events in life. If it weren't for the unexpected, then we would be robots from birth to death, and what fun would that be?! I've found that those who approach life from the viewpoint that the unexpected is the "spice" of life are much more creative and interesting. Why even talk to those who view the unexpected as a impediment to the smooth flow of their lives? No knowledge can be gained such a one that couldn't be gained from reading a book.

So, Shit Happens...how can we most skillfully respond? I try to look at each event of Shit Happens as a lesson in creative response. I could react, but that just invokes old habit patterns of thought and action...there is no creative growth in that. Sometimes, I forget and do react, but I find creative response happening more and more often. This is very positive as the repetition of creative response ingrains a more skillful habit than feeding old habits. The new habits I choose to cultivate (with varying levels of success) are creative, open, and growth producing. I can always tell when I am responding rather than reacting: when I respond, I feel empowered. When I react, I feel diminished. Of course, I had to learn to pay attention inward to be able to distinguish the difference between the two at very subtle levels of awareness, but once that work had grown, the rest became much easier.

So, I guess the question is for the reader, and for myself, "Have I reacted to the latest event, or have I creatively responded?" For me, a future now will provide me with more information to decide the answer.

May your life be skillful and creative.