September 11, 2023 – A

Staying connected with the flow of life
through the crises, turmoil, noise, drama and trauma of life
is the greatest trick in the Encyclopedia of Tricks.

Something is always coming along
to knock us off-center
into the far-off center of the Wasteland.

We never become accustomed to 
the sister-in-law
(You know the one I mean)
crunching through bag after bag
of fried pork skins
because "They are carb-free
and I can eat as many as I want."

You can think what you want,
but Lao-Tzu went off into the west to die
because of his sister-in-law.

We all have to make peace
with the fact of no peace
being possible 
in some situations of life,
and find our equivalent of "the west"
in realigning ourselves with the Tao
and accommodating the most recent incursion
of fried pork skins into our life.

Regular returns 
to emptiness/stillness/silence
help to reinstate balance and harmony,
and return us to the sate of inner AUM
as our spiritual gyroscope gradually
overcomes the disturbance in the force,
and we come to terms with the other side
of tranquil and are in tune once more 
with the here/now of life as it is
and not as we wish it were.

Life not as we wish it were
is where we live,
and move,
and have our being.

We have to adjust our wants
to take the unwanted into account
and make the best of situations 
beyond our capacity for tolerance
and forbearance,
and hit the wall Jesus hit
with his, "How long am I to be with you? 
How long am I to bear with you?"

And take up the work again
of finding the source,
seeking the center,
and dancing with whatever life brings us
as it crunches through bag after bag
of fried pork skins.

Or its equivalent. 

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