Karma is a funny thing..I don’t fully understand it, yet I do believe that there are people, moments, lessons in our lives that we are supposed to notice and recognize for their inexplicable fantastic-ness (yup, new word). I’ve always had that feeling..that if I didn’t notice the wonder, I would drown in the sorrow; if I didn’t take the opportunity to be kind, my heart would be assaulted with a severe case of the uglies. To fully disclose – I am far, far, fa-a-a-r from any ideal – I’m as cranky as the next person, miss my share of wiggle-giggle moments, forget that the world is not as circumspect as my thoughts often are. I should do more than I do and think about doing it less. I take too many things personally and need to remember that just maybe, someone is going through his/her own turmoil and I’m not even a blip on their emotional radar. I hate the phone and as such don’t talk with my sister, my family-in-law, or friends often enough. The list could continue, but this post would be too long.
I do try though to pay attention. I fretted mightily about the brand new bunny that fell into the pool yesterday. I scooped him out gently and anxiously waited for him to move. It took more than an hour – me slowly approaching him to make sure he was breathing; putting down a towel (why the heck I did that, I have no idea – did I think he was going to towel himself off?) and a baby carrot (after all he was a baby bunny, I figured an adult carrot would be too much); watching him through the window and wondering what the purpose would be if this harmless little thing died because he wasn’t watching where he was going. Slowly he began to do more than just shiver, he cleaned himself off, huddled against the summer wind and considered his options. When Andy came home he went down with the intent to carry him into the taller grasses – I really wanted to get him away from the pool! Without any prodding, the little guy (or gal) hopped away – leaving both the carrot and the towel.
And while this little drama was unfolding, there were my friends sending Facebook messages checking on the bunny’s well being, my son calling Andy to tell him that ‘mom is in crisis – hurt animal alert’, all this good ‘juju’ conspiring in the background to write a happy ending for this story.
Perhaps the best we do in our day is that which is invisible to us. The person we smile at on the street, the parent juggling two toddlers and a supermarket cart full of food who we invite to go in front of us in line, the butterfly that is freed from the space between the window and the screen. And for some karmic reason, you get an email from someone with whom you worked just checking in to remind you that you’re missed, the kid at the drugstore gives you the biggest smile because you said “thank you sir” and he responds with “Thanks! This is the first time any one has ever called me ‘sir’ ma’am”…(would that I could have said, “Wow, that’s the first time anyone has called me ‘ma’am'”…). Silly, inconsequential moments all, I know…yet in total, also the magic of all things touching each other I guess. And if that is how we get through – by noticing the moments in between – in between the frustrations, the disappointments, the stress – then bring it on. I’m tellin’ you – that’s where it’s all happening.
Waiting for the Karma Truck 