Leaves have a way of falling. Scars have a way of healing. Babies have a way of sleeping, eventually. Fridays have a way of rolling around. All by themselves.
This week we started on a low note, were roused into an angry fright, and got entangled in a world of pure junk. What does any of this have to do with the other? Here on the Cheerio, how is Sunday related to Monday related to Thursday? By the courage to keep going, my friends, and by the power of truth, nobly told.
Everything we talked about this week illustrates Buddha’s Four Noble Truths. Of course, everything everywhere illustrates the Four Noble Truths. How life involves suffering, how suffering stems from attachment – to things, feelings and ideas – and how attachment can be overcome by ending our desperate clinging to things, feelings and ideas. Including, most importantly, the idea of who we are. These Four Truths are the one storage system, the one container, that truly simplifies your life. It organizes all there is to know and all there is to do. This is the way to true freedom, and it’s absolutely free. This weekend, if you have a chance, read the link. But don’t just read it, consume it. So that there’s only one thing left behind: trust.
And now that it’s appeared, all by itself, let’s make trust our topic for the week to come. I trust you’ll have something to say about it. I trust I will too.
I’m constantly amazed by how beautifully and seamlessly you intermingle everything together.
Comment by Karen Beth — October 19, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
In college I had to participate in the trust fall. Each of us (work team building thing) had to take turns standing on a post and falling backwards so that our coworkers would catch us. I had a dozen false starts before I fell back…and the afterwards I don’t think I trusted my coworkers more than before, but I did feel lucky they caught me.
Comment by marta — October 19, 2007 @ 5:36 pm
KB–Trust me, I don’t do the intermingling. It happens by itself. All I have to do is notice. I am equally amazed by what is revealed!
Marta–I know you. You’re going to be a tough one to bring around. But I’m devoting my life to it!
Comment by Karen — October 19, 2007 @ 6:28 pm
Trust whom to do what, eh. I trust my kids to do what they need to. I don’t always trust myself to do the right thing, but I really have little choice in the matter (about trusting myself). I generally trust the kids to let me know what they need from me, if I’m not too busy to notice. Being kids, if I don’t notice the first few times, they keep letting me know until I do notice.
I trust that the right thing to do will show up at the right time. Recently I’ve been experimenting with not deciding things ahead of time – “deciding” too early is just a waste of energy and a reason to worry. Trust to life, and it delivers. Trust the kids, and they only beat each other up when they really need to; wait, that one’s not so right. Well, it’s working out surprisingly well despite how crazy we all are. (Being 3 and seven, the fights are actually starting to resemble beating up sometimes, aiy. Before we had kids, I thought non-violence was some sort of obvious thing; now I’m just happy that the world isn’t in worse shape than it is.)
Trust isn’t so much a matter of trusting people or the future, but of trusting the moment when you don’t know but do what needs doing anyways.
Comment by Chris Austin-Lane — October 19, 2007 @ 11:48 pm
Ah, I see. Back to where I was already. I like that. The link is what I have been consuming all week. Re-visiting. Absorbing. Re-Acquainting.
Thank you for this weeks journey.
Comment by denise — October 20, 2007 @ 3:05 am
I’m fairly stuck in my ways–perhaps the clutter is really in my head…
Comment by marta — October 20, 2007 @ 7:28 pm
Ah, the good old trusty can of worms you’re opening, huh? I might have my own issues here to deal with. Trust is not easily found inside me. I’ll be curious to see what you wrangle up about this one!: )
Comment by Shawn — October 20, 2007 @ 10:33 pm
Your words speak to me. Thank you for sharing them.
Comment by RocketMom — October 20, 2007 @ 11:50 pm
After reading The Four Noble Truths, I’m disturbed in the way I get after staring into my eyes in the mirror for too long.
Perhaps I’ll read it again…
Comment by Moanna — October 21, 2007 @ 3:49 am
Ooo, that’s an incendiary topic for me if there ever was one!
In grad school I had a professor who emphatically believed that trust in others was an illusion, that one could only trust oneself. This idea was introduced to me at a time I was grappling (finally, three years later) with the aftermath of being sexually assaulted by an acquaintance. Long story there. It was a challenging concept. I began to think about the fact that by trusting others I placed my power outside myself. What is trust, anyway?
It’s late and I should be getting sleep. I look forward to this topic, and maybe I’ll write a bit about it on my blog too.
Comment by kathryn — October 21, 2007 @ 5:10 am
Hmmm. Funny I can’t click on the link, my computer doesn’t trust the site, or maybe the site doesn’t trust me. I think it is a sign…
Comment by Mika — October 21, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
I’ll look forward to this week. Trust is such a complicated and yet simple idea. The simple trust of a baby that knows its mother will be there. The sometimes difficult job of letting you trust yourself.
Comment by Momma_Phoenix — October 21, 2007 @ 5:43 pm
Marta: Hmmm. Clutter in your head? Ya think? I’ll have to stew on that.
Moanna: Hmmm. Could that be fear? Or maybe just eyestrain.
Mike: Hmmm. A sign? Or just Mercury retrograde???
Comment by Karen — October 21, 2007 @ 5:55 pm
Excuse me Mike. I off course mean Mika. I’m afraid I’m suffering from confusion and eyestrain.
Comment by Karen — October 21, 2007 @ 6:03 pm
Excuse me off. I of course mean of course. Wish there was a writer in the house.
Comment by Karen — October 21, 2007 @ 6:04 pm
Looking forward to your ref3elctions on trust and feeling many of own thoughts and feeling stirred.
Comment by bella — October 21, 2007 @ 9:15 pm