A Murder of Crows

I am not sure what it is about the universe that it seems, at times, to be trying to keep you off balance. Just as one thing seems to untangle, another seems to tangle. It shifts one direction and then with little warning it shifts in the other direction. I am not sure what causes it, I am not every sure why, but it shifts.

I've started the year with a motto (Calm, Clear, Focused) and a focal point (the Three Treasures of the Tao - Simplicity, Patience, Compassion). When ever the universe throws a curve at me, I reside in the three treasures and I try and stay calm, clear, and focused. I am not always successful, but so far this year I have been more successful than not, and that is a good thing. It seems to me that the portents of this year are good - I am looking forward to it, I feel well centered and ready for it to unfold. I think I am having a very - I don't know how to describe it - day.

I woke up this morning and lingered in bed, dozing and half-dreaming as I went into the morning. I made it a point to take a little extra time and bow my head in prayer. I went online to chat but had some difficulties staying online - after the fourth "sudden death" of an AOL session, I figured it was the Gods of Chat telling me "not today".

It was kind of frustrating because there I have a few online friends who are "weekend only" people and I always look forward to talking to them, and I couldn't. But, sometimes in the flow of things the universe does not give us what we want.

Then I had - I don't know if miscommunication is the right word - but a not good communication with someone who is dear to me. As a guy, my instinct is to fix, but there are things that are beyond me to fix and I have to let the universe take care of them, residing in the three treasures of simplicity, patience, and compassion. I think this is the patience part - things in this world unfold as they unfold and there really isn't anything I can do about them. I would if I could, but I do not seem to be able to. I am not sure what the lesson is there except - patience.

So, not satisfied in that arena this morning, I pulled back - I started up the stereo and have spent the morning listening to Sting. I watched "Alama" (the new one, with Billy Bob Thorton as Davy Crocket), then I re-watched Friday night's episode of Battlestar Galactica.

I ran my nephew into work because I needed to run some errands, including picking up a prescription - but of course, I forgot the prescription here at home. So, I dropped Tom off and stopped to gas up the car (which was the point at which I realized I had forgotten the prescription).

So, I circled home and have picked it up and put it in my wallet. I popped online to check my work email (I have people working this weekend and I thought I would check in and see how they are doing - everything is going smoothly). I thought I would check my home email (nothing there).

So, I then decided I would take a few minutes and write a journal entry before I headed back out to run those errands.

Despite the incidental frustrations of the morning, the day is still falling clearly into the "good day" category. It helps that the sun is shining - something about the warmth of the sun that can make any day nice.

We go through life and often find it is best to simply focus on the good things, the simple things, that make the world such a stunningly beautiful place. Simple things like friends and the sun shining on a cool California day.