Polish Up

The gem cannot be polished without friction nor people without trials.

Confucius
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Hello Margie
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Human life is a totally harmonious, satisfactory, fulfilling experience in which we all live in perfect peace and mutual love. Right? Hardly.

Whenever I hear someone warn me of trials, problems, tough times I want to tense up a bit in fear and dread about having to face something I don't want to face, something that is going to disturb the calm waters of my life. But then I have to stop and reflect that the moment of panic has made me momentarily forget all the problems that are already on my plate and that I have taken for granted. One more test, other than the frustration, will hardly be noticed as it disappears in the crowd. To amend the opening comment, life is a continual test of our intelligence, ingenuity, patience and courage. It's also an opportunity to practice the fine art of staying on the right road.

The mental highway is filled with a myriad of detours and some of them are so attractive they resemble the highway itself. It is easy to be fooled. Down some of those detours are all the dire things that could happen but probably won't. Other detours take you where you don't know enough, you don't have enough information to deal with the problems. Then there are the detours that leave you confused and in doubt about what to do. There is even a side road that runs along next to the highway for a while that is the suggestion that you should feel sorry for yourself considering all the problems you have. Staying on the highway that leads to solution and harmony is tricky business.

My mother, bless her, was a first rate worrier. She worried over things there was no need to worry about. In fact, she was such an accomplished worrier that she eventually convinced me of the righteousness of it and I became a worrier myself. I was a good student.

It took me many years to break myself of the habit. I was a heart palpitating, fingernail biting, floor pacing maniac. Until I learned a great lesson. It's the lesson of the night watchman, the palace guard, the traffic cop. One of our rights, guaranteed by nature, is the right to think what we want to think, the right to choose the thoughts that we let in and the right to bar from the door harmful, discouraging and destructive thoughts. In short we have the right to not worry.

This exercise as border guard is important for other reasons. Thoughts held firmly in mind will produce results. "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me," it says in Job 3:25. Which means get rid of the fear if you don't want the results. And since fear, like everything else, begins in thought it means to blow the whistle, hold up your hand and say "Stop."

Let the trials you have and the solving of them polish you. No need to add extras to the plate.

DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never give up.