Feelin’ Groovy

August 27, 2020

This past week my brother’s house burned down in the California wildfires. I prepared to evacuate because of those same fires. My mother entered hospice, my friend Cris came home from the hospital and is recovering from Covid 19, and a family member continues her slow recovery from the coronavirus after four months. There are more race riots, this time in Wisconsin and elsewhere, and the Republican convention declared that everything is going so well in the U.S. that Trump deserves another four years in the White House.

My response? Appreciation.

It may sound like denial, to put on a happy face while my home state is burning, family members are suffering, Covid 19 wrecks the economy, climate change is wreaking havoc worldwide, racial tensions explode into violence, and refugees flee war and poverty.

But I can only take so much negativity in the news before I start to feel depressed or angry or both. And my disgust and despair do not lead to positive action, but rather they cause me to feel cynical and hopeless about the state of the human race.

So I practice mindfulness. Whenever I notice that I’m feeling sorry for myself or for the world, I try to remember to shift my focus and pay attention to what is going right in my life. And I have a lot to be thankful for.

My health is excellent. I have a wonderful family and friends. I live in a beautiful area. I have enough money. My country and planet are going through some tough times, but even if things deteriorate, there’s still a lot of beauty in nature, as I rediscover every time I go hiking along the California coast.

Perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned to regain a sense of wonder, even awe, at the mystery, love, and joy that I sense underlying the universe and life all around me. We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to be in Classroom Earth, to learn our life lessons while we evolve and reconnect with our souls and with the god Force. Call it what you will: Christ consciousness, buddha nature, a higher power. Whatever it is, something is propelling humanity forward beyond our ignorance and self destructiveness toward the evolution of our collective consciousness.

Yeah, yeah, I know – you’d never guess that human beings are evolving if you watch or read about the Republican convention. Even many conservatives are appalled by the fear mongering and paranoia being promoted by the conspiracy theories and personality cult around Donald Trump. But some people, and some nations, have to learn their lessons the hard way. It’s difficult to watch individuals and societies behave so stupidly. But hey – who am I to judge? I’ve certainly created enough karma to last many lifetimes, and yet here I am, still learning, still growing, still screwing up, and still being treated with compassion by someone or something. If the universe can forgive me for my foolishness, I suppose I ought to offer the same understanding and patience to others who are behaving badly. But it ain’t easy to be that kind.

I imagine that my life will keep getting better, except when it gets worse. For now, though, I intend to follow the advice of the 13th century sage Nichiren: “Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy, and continue (your Buddhist practice).”

Acceptance and appreciation – my tickets to feelin’ groovy.