Up To The Wire

Regardless of what you think about the subject of "free will," there are times when the mechanics of the Universe don't matter to someone living in the moment. Actions and reactions, split second decisions and variables too numerous to mention form a web of activity that would be impossible to track. In those times, everything seems to come down to "now." It might be the final game of the season, a critical operation or a driver trying to avoid an accident- only hindsight will tell you what were really the deciding factors in the outcome and what things only seemed important at the time...

Many things are floating about in my life, and I can bet that you have similar situations going on in yours. Maybe you've been rooting for the Mets like I was, and were upset by their lopsided loss today, ending a great season on a disappointing note. Maybe you have a close friend or family member like I do who is sick and for whom the doctors don't have all the answers. Maybe there are positive things happening- for me, I have seen progress from all fronts on my creative projects this week and it brought me alot of satisfaction. In every case, however, I can only speak for myself and how I reacted in the moments of each of these up and down situations. I know that in every case, there were many things beyond my control which drove the outcomes, bot good and bad, and which will continue to progress those outcomes to their final end...

I used to stress about such things; There was a time when I embraced the Buddist idea that life and actions were locked into a great wheel of Karma, where every action I did affected my future and trapped me into a destiny of my own creation. Luck, when you examine it, is not the same thing as Chance; Luck is the effect of what YOU do- which is why many Mets fans turned their caps inside out in the first inning today at Shea. They saw something bad happening and somehow felt it was THEIR fault... and if it were, then they should also logically be able to turn that wheel back the other way.

What gives me solace in all the roller coaster moments of life is knowing the reality of the Universe is not that way. I really am NOT in control of those things. I didn't "fail" the Mets. I didn't do something which made my friend sick. And I really am not so amazing that I can take the total credit for the projects I work on...

It's all for a higher purpose.

What that is- I have no idea. Someday I will... but not today.

And that's cool with me, because the Guy who IS in control DOES know. And to me, that's all that matters...