Day 8: Feeling Zen

I woke up at 4 and I couldn't find the pants I wanted to wear today and my gas tank was empty and half of the work that I did this weekend didn't transfer to my work account and the printers were down and my rosters didn't update and by the time I got to my cup of coffee it was cold and a student slam dunked my trasketball net off of the wall and the wave demonstration spring came loose and slammed into my leg and more students were disruptive than they have been and I bet they don't have these issues in Australia.

And it's Monday.

But...

The weather is beautiful and the heat finally broke and my classroom smelled nice and I got everything ready before the kids got here and I have a pork roast in the crock pot for dinner and I had an excellent weekend and I encouraged a kid who was disruptive who then became very productive and I continued to stalk students with the vortex cannon and I am starting to feel more comfortable with my classes.

Yes, some disappointing things happened and some others didn't go the way I wanted.  None of those were permanent issues and will soon make way for others.

When I was in college, a group of Tibetan monks came and created a mandala in our student center.  They spent three days carefully placing grains of sand to create an stunning work of complex art that was 3 feet in diameter.

At the end of the 3 days, there was an elaborate ceremony where they carefully, and ritualistically, destroy the art and scatter the grains in the river.  This demonstrates impermanence and encourages human beings to let go of attachments.

Three summers ago, I got my first tattoo.  In small elegant lettering on my chest, I have written "This Too Shall Pass."  This is designed to help me remember the impermanence of life.  Everything that vexes and upsets me will eventually be gone.  I need to live more in the present moment and not be so angry and frustrated with minor annoyances.

I'm not very good at this, but I'm working on it.

The flip side is that the best of things will also pass away.  Especially in terms of my children, I don't live enough in the present and recognize the good things, cherishing them while they remain.

Good or bad, ugly or beautiful, familiar or new, all things end.

Today was by no means a bad day.  Some annoying things happened, but they were just that: annoying.

They weren't devastating, or life-changing.  Just annoying.

So I'm letting them go.

I had a good day.

I hope you had one as well.