I was awoken this morning before 6am by a neighbor who was hammering on his ancient pop-up camper that he has literally been working on for weeks everyday. This person has tends to lean toward some behaviors that seem unsavory at times, however this is beside the point.
This camper is truly a turd he has been polishing. This is a wonderful test for me to practice loving the unlovely and allowing others to be in their choice. This person hammering early in the morning has some characteristics of superiority and holds grudges which is typically part of an inflated ego. We probably know many people like this. I always recognize behaviors because I have either exhibited those or still do. I know this person very well and have had a long history with him. He has been “retired” for a long time and he doesn’t easily get along with others and lives in a poverty mentality stretching every penny to exist in retirement. Again, I recognize unsavory behaviors in others because I can or have seen this in myself. Abundance is not a concept that seems to be understood. So, putting in hundreds of hours on a broken down camper that is rarely used makes this one of the most expensive campers in town I think.
So how long do we polish a turd? How much is our time worth? One could earn the money in the time it took to frustratingly work on fixing something that cannot be fixed. Once this problem is fixed, won’t something else pop up (sorry for my pun) that needs to be overhauled?
Everything in our world falls apart. That can be a relationship or a pop up camper or a car or a job or whatever. Everything is impermanent. There comes a time that you trash that thing and get something new that is more fitting. Especially, as we as humans grow and change, we need to adapt our lives to new things. Are you trying not to change? The only thing that is permanent is change. We cannot escape change. Whether that’s weather or our landscape or gentrification or your wife or life in general. We should learn to embrace change. I love learning about change. Many are afraid of change. It is truly our perspective however that rules our view of change. If we are given a gift and it is not expected, then usually we are excited. So many dread what is around the corner. Oh no, what if this were to happen. Maybe we need to view change as a unexpected gift. Often, when we are in the midst of something like unexpected change or obstacles, we are in a panic. Like if our car dies, we may have an opportunity to get a new car like one with a sunroof and a turbo charger.
Impermanence is a beautiful Buddhist tenet that allows us to embrace change. Why wake up every morning and hammer on your turd of a camper when you can put a sign on it that says “Free – haul it away”. You get to sleep in, work for a few months and then love and value your new camper you buy when the season is good for camping. Now we are always in choice and I view my lack of sleep this morning as a gift because I wouldn’t be inspired to write this blog today without the polishing of a turd next door. I am thankful for my neighbor’s choice to continue his suffering if that is what he wants to do. I cannot change anyone, but I can pray to open my heart to love the unlovely and allow anyone to be in their choice even if I disagree. Sometimes, someone can view a situation better from an aerial view than if they are in the thick of a forest or battle.
Today, I will embrace change and practice loving those that seem unlovable. Today, I will allow all people to be in their choice and to be on their own Path. I am choosing my Path and I hope others will allow me to be in my choice. I choose also not to judge others when I notice some darkness because to judge and hate on them is to judge and hate on myself.
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