Sonata for a Bodhi Tree

A Young man sat under a bodhi tree wondering what was in store. Beside him lay part of a branch which had fallen to the ground. He picked up the stick and was absently waving it in the air while his attention wandered. With a snap he was present and the stick had lost about half it's length and his enlightenment began. He consciously waved the stick around as he had before but no further change. So he began to flick the stick a bit harder and again a poingnant snap and another half the stick's length was gone. Next he had to whip the stick vigorously to break the stick. At that point no amount of waving or whipping could reduce it any further. As he brought his other hand it snapped quite easily in the center. The remainder took much more effort. Eventually the stick was small enough that no matter how much effort he exerted on the ends it would no longer break. And his enlightenment was complete.



I have been a lucky man. I was forced by circumstance to leave the woman I love, my local group of friends, my dogs, my house and things and the activities of my life 1000 miles away. Doesn't sound lucky to you? That's not really the lucky part. The cliche goes "You don't know what you have 'til it's gone." Well for me they're not really gone, just removed. I have passed the last decade in a life in which things were valued; friendships, activities, substance, wealth. As they are now removed, I have been given the rare opportunity to unpack them. Living in a room with only my computer, a satellite radio, and the writings of the great minds of the ancient world, I have had ample opportunity to miss things;martialial arts school and tmarvelousous women who run it, a big screen hi definitiTV tv, the cool clear Colorado nights. But the end result has been different. Friendships take a new resolution when viewed through a longer lens. The TV stole my time without bartering much in exchange. In the end only my lovely lady and our monstrous puppies become a daily loss. The time apart from them is not renewable. I will have missed when all this is over at least 10% of my dogs lives. I don't know of any sale that will recoup that discount. A full 8% of the years I have been fortunate enough to have this lady as my best friend has now passed with us separated. So how is this lucky?





Because, like the great classic movies, nothing is gone save time. I can undo what's been done and slip through the parlor door and all will be well. Not many are given the opportunity to evaluate the value of things in their life until after disaster has taken thirrevocablybly away.
We are that young man, and the stick is those things that we carry with us, both literally and figuratively. The motions of life do not need to be great if your baggage is. Shorten your stick and life will have to jog you much harder. Be careful to cast away the temporary things and keep what is of lasting value. This discernment is the key to joy.