Karma, shawarma. Whatever it is, let’s serve it cold.

Karma, shawarma. Whatever it is, let’s serve it cold. (Loving, living, breathing – ya know, the biggies)

“Must I live my days in these concrete ways?/

Will the fire break through this smokey haze?”

Many of us were thrust into #adulting, or maybe it’s more like the frog in the blender scenario (i.e. you get more & more responsibilities s-l-o-w-l-y ’til you’re up to your eyeballs in BILLS or kids, or whatnot). Your results may vary. Us aldults (as my dear ole Grampy would say) wake up often before the sun, make some coffee, (“Morning’s hard/coffee’s cold”) feed and tend to our pets or non-furry offspring, (“Don’t let hearts break/And don’t let children cry”) throw on some clothes, and hit the road to go to the place Maynard G. Krebs referred to as a “four-letter word.” Work, the word is work, although he’d squeak out: “Woiyk!” There are deadlines, and bosses, and there’s peeeeeeople there, pretty much regardless of where you do your thing to get paid. While it’s nice to have structure and all that, it can be stifling to have such concrete ways. And saying “must” implies a petulant, whiny tween: “do I haaaave to?”

“Rip through the wire that screens in my window/

Throw open the shades that cover my mind”

Change is hard. Hurts like h-e-double-hockey-sticks. But if you didn’t get “dark & twisty” over night, you’re not coming into the Light, Carol Ann, the morning after, either. The wire may cage us, but the screens imprison us, obscuring our view. We all spend way way way too much time on a screen. Grab your bolt cutters, and get to work. Doing so-called shadow work is HARD. It’s messy and perhaps violent. If we can free our minds, surely the “rest will follow.” (En Vogue) 

Throw open the shades like you’d throw off the covers to greet the day. In one fell swoop. Hurts more; heals faster. 

Most of us walk around in a fog most of the time, lost in our own little worlds. At least I do, much to my partner’s frustration. Side note: taking Physics in high school was made no more attractive by the end-of-year field trip to Six Flags Great Adventure, the roller coaster theme park hours away. He actually has the audacity to suggest on the daily that I take remedial physics, not even Reeeegents-level for us NYers, but I just say I’m clumsy and that it runs in the family. He mumbled something about my not paying attention, or somesuch. Eh, I wasn’t listening.

Many of us seem to be happy here, in our own little worlds. But is that living, thriving, or just existing, taking up precious oxygen and space? It’s time to cultivate some Tapas, or burning zeal, desire, heat in practice. Matters not what you practice, as long as you throw your heart and soul into it. It could be needle-point, woodworking, Yoga, yoga, or choose-your-own-adventure. Heck, “my boy builds coffins” will do nicely, thank you very much. The fire will burn off the fog, spurring us along when motivation lags or lacks. As they say, tis better to live your Dharma, or purpose, imperfectly, than to live someone else’s perfectly. 

“And I swear tonight I’m gonna find that place/

It’s not the love that dies but the understanding ways”

It’s easy to become a hamster on a wheel: work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep. It’s a bit harder to tap into “that” place whereby passion ignites, and the hours fly by since you’re engaged in whatever pursuit you’re, uh, pursuing. We must keep the home fires burning, but also open our Anahata chakra (the heartcenter) to not let those understanding ways die. Love endures, but understanding has been replaced by deadlines and the dreaded #adulting. 

Do we have self-compassion? Does it extend to others? For many, the other way is easier: we’re nice/r to others, trying to pour from an empty cup when it’s our turn. Put your own oxygen mask on first, kids! Metta meditation may start all-encompassing, but eventually, ultimately, it ends with us as individuals. 

“I, I want to testify/

My love still lives and breathes”

Keep the faith, keep burning, and maybe step off the wheel once in awhile. Share what spark you do have with others, and it will likely come back to you. Circle of life and all that warm n’ fuzzy schtuff. Karma is more than chits in the bank, to be called in at Bill, uh, will. It’s more like: “action, will, deed,” not just a dish best served (instantly) cold. Hope springs eternal! It’s Springtime in the northeast, kids – get out there & take a bite of life, soak up some Amrita. This entry’s song was: “Testify,” by Melissa Etheridge and Kevin McCormick

If this resonated with you, please feel free to comment below or drop me an email. Until our mats unfurl again, be well.

-M