Keeping balances in rough seas.
by Donna Henes
Dear Mama Donna,
I came out of work at 9 p.m. tonight and found my Honda Accord where I had left it in a gigantic parking structure surrounded by cars. It was minus all four wheels – rims and tires. Vandals, probably four of them, did a quick job. I freaked and started shaking. Almost three hours later, I’m home with no car. AAA had a huge job towing my car. I have a $500 deductible. That equals one week’s pay. AAA says it happens all the time and I’m lucky to have my car. I got a ride home from a policeman. You are always writing about balance. So what does balance say about this? The hell with balance. I’m going into the fetal position and staying there.
Disgusted and Catatonic
My poor dear Catatonic,
How can I break this to you? It’s not all about you, honey. Balance did not forget you. You forgot balance. It is a huge universe, and it is completely counterproductive to take hard times personally. Our personal problems, our dizzying ups and downs aside, the forces of the cosmos continue to operate in perfect balance around us. Clearly you had a lousy time of it, but take a deep breath and look around you. I think that, if you are honest with yourself, you will find that a broken car, no matter how inconvenient, seems fairly inconsequential given all that is going on in the world these days.
Though you didn’t recognize it at the time, your miserable evening had everything to do with balance. It was an important aptitude test on keeping your balance during rough, rocky times. Life is nothing if not a balancing act. Not that it is easy to be balanced all of the time. We are human beings, after all, being human. We get pissed when things don’t go our way.
We are constantly bounced around by forces beyond our control. Each bump is like a subpoena for the soul. Every time that fate deals us a blow, we find ourselves on trial to determine how we handle ourselves in disruptive circumstances. Do we fall off the tight rope and crash and burn at the slightest inconvenience? Or do we gather our resources, fine tune our sense of perspective, and choose to act with good humor and grace?
Blessed are the flexible for they shall not break.
The AAA was right. In balance, you were lucky not to lose the car, or your life, for that matter, had you happened upon the thugs mid-theft. You had a home to go home to, a computer and a bed. Get a grip, girlfriend. This is not the end of the world. Count your blessings and be grateful. Be very, very grateful.
Yours for keeping in balance,
xxMama Donna
Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. Send your questions about seasons, cycles, and celebrations to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com.