A Moment of Zen (part 2)

Greetings.

Dead branches, crisp air

Breath escapes my mouth as fog

Sunshine burns the frost

Spring is coming boys and girls. It's no secret that I hate winter, so obviously I am extremely grateful for this year's El Nino cycle. It has been pretty mild this year - no snow to speak of, mostly rain and moderate temperatures. Even with this blessing, however, it thrills my heart to see the sun shine so much the last couple of days. It reminds me that nothing is permanent. Everything - literally, every little thing - is constantly in a state of flux.

Some people find this disconcerting. It terrifies them, actually. Their minds cling to possessions, relationships, memories, feelings, and thoughts in an ill-fated attempt to achieve some sense of stability. Admittedly, I do this from time to time - I think we all do - but for some, it defines their existence. Just look at the overreaction to the election of Barack Obama. The very next day we saw people up in arms saying things like "There goes the country!" They say all kinds of alarming and outlandish things - all out of this irrational fear that change inevitably means change for the worse.

One of the most powerful things I've learned from my very limited study of Zen, however, is that our lives ARE change. Science backs this up as well. From the time we are conceived, we grow. Cells are nourished and then they die and are replaced by other cells. Quantum theory, in fact, shows us that on the most foundational levels the exact location of a particle is impossible to know with 100% accuracy. The protons, neutrons, and electrons that make up the atoms that make up the molecules that make up our cells that make up our organs that make up our bodies are never static. They are constantly moving - along with every other proton, neutron, and electron in the universe. Zen - if you practice it and get really good at it - helps us to see this change for what it really is and flow with it, rather than resisting it.

When you embrace change, it doesn't mean that you are to just look at the bad changes and not feel sadness or any other negative feelings about them, it just means that you don't have to attach to those feelings because you know that the bad changes will eventually give way to other changes that are not so bad.

So, wherever you are, look outside. If it's sunny, then take a moment to appreciate it and enjoy it while its here. If it's cold and snowy or rainy, you can be glad in that, too, because it's the end of February, and when the spring finally gets to you, you'll appreciate it that much more.

I am the Reverend Humpy and I have approved this message.