The Joys of Life

"The sage calmly stopped pouring tea and looked at him: Your mind, sir, is much like this teacup.  I'm afraid it is already too full for me to be able to fit anything else into.  Else it will surely run over and spill everywhere."

- Traditional Adage

Playing with an elephant in a river in Nepal

As you go thru life it's way too easy to focus on the negative and what's going wrong in both your life and the world.  This isn't the full story though.  There is always good to be found, no matter your circumstance.  Even if it is simply: I am alive today.

The news focuses on what sells and what gets clicks, which is usually negative.  You will never see a news headline that says, "Person Lost Car Keys, Neighbor Picks Person Up and Gives Them a Ride Home."  Nobody would read that article or watch that segment, even though it's uplifting.

The truth of the matter is that is exactly the type of headline that fills the majority of our lives and world, but you'll never see it since it doesn't sell.  The negativity that you do see is such a small portion of what actually exists, miniscule in fact.

If you find yourself focusing on the negative of your life or the world then I challenge you to find the joy amongst the negativity.  Don't ignore the negativity but rather acknowledge it, let it move along and find the joy that exists amongst it.  Such as a flower growing through a crack in the sidewalk.

The Way I Am

People often ask why am I the way I am, why am I so strange.  To which I answer, why are you the way you are?  The answer is this... 

Representation of Trauma -  Dall·e AI

Memento Mori

"I cannot tell if what the world considers 'happiness' is happiness or not.  All I know is that when I consider the way they go about attaining it, I see them carried away, headlong, grim, and obsessive, in the general onrush of the human herd, unable to stop themselves or to change their direction.  All the while they claim to be just on the point of attaining happiness.  My opinion is that you never find happiness until you stop looking for it."

- Chuang Tzu

Imagine the text being all lowercase and in cursive.  Attempted recreation with Dall·e AI that went awry.

I open the drivers side door and step out of my car onto the newly frozen ice that stretches across the vast parking lot like the frozen tundra of the Arctic.  The air is crisp.  Dripping snot instantly freezes on your upper lip.  Deep breath in - the cold air burns your lungs.  Above this modern tundra there's a highway overpass that is slowly roaring to life with cars starting to zoom by as the sun rises in the distance to greet us and warm the frigid landscape - much like lions roaring to the sunrise in the African savanna.

A mustard yellow 1972 Chevy LUV parks next to me and out steps a gentleman with matching yellow socks, a yellow trench coat, and a yellow Dick Tracy style hat.  Feeling like I've suddenly been teleported into a cartoon parallel universe I ask him if he knows if we have to pay for parking here?  He doesn't answer my question and responds with a question of his own:

First time here, eh?  

Yes it is, I reply.

Well you're in for a wild ride then!

I think so as I nod my head in agreement while staring at the comic book character.

Yeah, you have to pay for parking by the entrance.

So we walk all the way to the entrance, pay for parking, then walk back to our cars to put the ticket in the car, then walk back to the entrance?

Yup, you got it!

Alrighty then I mutter as I accidentally slam the car door shut - spooking some icicles off the overpass.

It's too early for these types of annoying shenanigans that society imposes on us that really don't make any sense at all when you think about them.  After paying for parking, putting the ticket in my car, then walking the marathon distance back to the entrance of the building I get in line amongst many notable characters.  I ponder if we're supposed to dress up as I appear to be the only one wearing normal clothes.  Perhaps I missed the memo on their website.  I make a mental note that maybe I should pick up a flannel shirt for this type of occasion so I can appear dressed up in this type of setting but still blend in amongst more normal spots.

The line moves quickly and their prohibited items sign very specifically calls out "No Mushrooms" which is intriguing.  Good thing I don't need to worry about that.  It is the first time I've ever seen mushrooms specifically called out on a not allowed sign.  What would happen if someone showed up with a lunchbox full of portabellas for a tasty lunch?  I'm pretty sure I'm in for a very interesting day.  I'm glad I decided to have coffee this morning flashes through my mind.