Indiana Jones and Faith

“When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.” - Barbara J. Winter

The quote reminds me a scene from the third of the Indiana Jones movies, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which Indy is searching for the Cup of Christ. Towards the end of the movie, he comes to a ravine he must cross. The crossing is not far - perhaps 15 feet - but the ravine is no ordinary ravine. Hundreds and hundreds of feet of vertical cliff on both sides up and down, left and right. Indy checks his references and notes, from these he knows he must express the ultimate faith.

He stands there, crosses himself, takes a deep breath, closes his eyes - and steps out. His foot lands on a bridge that wasn't there a moment earlier.

In this case Indy had 'something solid to stand on'. Sometimes that's what we get, support in the most unexpected, unseen way. The other side is newborn birds who still not knowing how to fly reach the edge of the nest and off they go.

Winter is right - it takes deep faith to know we are always given the right tools at the right time and the scene is a great illustration of that.

Relativity

Albert Einstein has some fabulous quotes - this is one of my favorites:

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour.
Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute.
THAT'S relativity

Belief

We do not believe
in ourselves until
someone reveals that
deep inside us
something is valuable
worth listening to
worthy of our touch
once we believe in
ourselves
we can risk
curiosity
wonder
spontaneous delight
or any experience
that reveals the human spirit.
-- e. e. cummings

Brushing Teeth and Meditation

This weekend I went to a talk by Lisa Wimberger, founder of The NeuroScultping Institute. The NSI is an evolution of Lisa's work with neuroscience, trauma, and stress and helping people heal. From the NSI website, 'Her mission to share practical and powerful stress management techniques to those in need caused Lisa to develop her Neurosculpting™ programs combining neuroscience principles with mindfulness and energetic modalities."

Lisa's talk was an introduction to NeuroScuplting, or the idea of how we can as individual change our patterns of belief and therefore our patterns of response. Since this was the very beginnings of her talks, I will describe the technique she uses as a form of meditation. She also referred to these personal journeys as meditation.

Towards the end of the talk, Lisa compared brushing your teeth to meditation. On the surface this may seem like an extraordinary comparison of two seemingly very different experiences. Most of us think of brushing our teeth as a fairly, normal everyday occurrence. Meditation is more commonly thought of in terms of raising awareness and consciousness. It's often thought of as a ritualized experience, even the imagery commonly associated with meditation shows the same.

What Lisa did by comparing brushing your teeth to meditation is bringing them to the same level, with a similar purpose. She brings the ritualized form of meditation to brushing your teeth. For many it truly is a ritual, a common pattern and flow which makes us feel better. It is ordinary in many ways and yet it is important.

Likewise, this brings an ordinary, everyday experience to meditation. We can choose to make time for meditation every day like we do for brushing our teeth. It doesn't take long and it has long-term beneefits.

Lisa talked about brushing our teeth as a daily maintenance. After all brushing our teeth helps to keep a healthy mouth. It takes a daily commitment, even just a few minutes, of brushing our teeth to maintain our health. Meditation has a similar feel - by setting aside a few minutes every day to meditate we bring peace, we strength our mind, we keep our brain and attitude healthy. Meditation also helps maintain our health, albeit in a very different way.

I truly appreciate the reminders of how the ordinary is extraordinary, whether it's brushing your teeth, or being mindful while eating, or any daily experience. It's something I forget still. In this case, I really like bringing an ordinary quality to something even I consider somewhat ritualized and outside an everyday experience.

Thanks Lisa for such a profound comparison! I'm off for my daily brushing, flossing, and rinsing of my mind.

Listening to Levon

Mark Cohn sings a song titled ‘Listening to Levon.’ It’s about a young man on a date with Mary (her name in the song) and while he remembers a few details, he’s elsewhere, listening to Levon (Levon Helm). The chorus is this:

I was lost
I was gone
Listening to Levon
In another place
In some other world
I was was lost
I was gone
Listening to Levon
I was looking at the girl
But I was listening to Levon

I suppose I can relate. I remember dating a woman a while ago who clearly saw I was more interested in cycling than in her. Maybe it might be more precise to say at the time I was more interested in proving something, and cycling was the way to do it. So as the song continues:

Sorry if I hurt you
Mary if you’re out there
You know who you are

I believe we all have activities that pull us in, where we’re lost in another place. It could be fishing, online gaming, church, or any pursuit which truly feeds us. Our deepest interests have their own sacredness and fulfillment to them.

For a long time cycling was it for me. More recently it’s been running, meditation, and yoga. Each one offers a stillness, peace, depth, connection. It’s not unlike listening to Levon. Engrossed and absorbed seem more relevant to what I feel than lost or gone. Truly being in the run, or on the mat – being present and nowhere else. The result being a similar vein of captivation and experience. In that sense, I feel the resonance of Cohn’s chorus. I feel the want for the magnificence and simplicity of those places deeper than being human.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a passionate kiss, a heartfelt embrace, the twinkle in a lover’s eyes, the deep blessings of a woman’s heart. Those truly reflect some of our most profound desires as humans - wanting to be loved, yearning to be connected, being in relationship with someone close. I feel that pull as well.

The truth is we need both and to find a balance of both. We need those places that bring great joy and satisfaction, an inner pace; and we need to acknowledge and meet our human state of being. We need to support this in each other so that each person blossoms in their own interests and then returns with renewed energy for those he loves.

Done well, this is truly having our cake and eating it too! I’m off to bake my cake and then enjoy the delight of human senses!

The Beginner Dog

I have two dogs. They get daily neighborhood walks; on the weekend I take them for longer hikes. As much as possible I try to let them off leash so they can be dogs and really run.

Each time we go out for a walk or hike, they are very excited. One of them can hardly contain himself – whines, barks, can barely sit still. Once the door is opened they are ready to bolt and run! Of course most dogs are excited to get outside and go for a walk.

Still I’m amazed every time. They are so excited even when it’s a walk or a place we’ve gone before. I know they know the place because they have favorite spots they like to go themselves, and still they’re excited. On leash or off, they are taking sniffing every spot they can, running in circles. Off leash they shoot off in every direction.

What this reminds me of is the Zen Buddhist concept of beginner’s mind. It’s the idea of approaching everything with a newness and freshness, with a lack of preconceived ideas, with a new attitude, even when it’s something that’s been seen or done before. I appreciate how dogs just do this.

It’s a reminder to me on the hikes and walks as well to keep paying attention to the dogs, and still appreciate and enjoy where I am.

The Pair

Written almost 20 years ago ...

As the two proceeded on another journey, onlookers would point and then
point the pair out to others.  Many would wave or smile.  This pair was
different.  Some held faces of wonderment and awe at such an oddity. 
Others shouted cheers of encouragement.  Always they were uncommon.

The pair working together always; individuals, but one, when together,
as a team. It can't be any other way.

As a team, the pair works together always.  Neither has complete
control, yet one must be the guide, the captain to provide the
direction and control for each circumstance, and one will be the
partner or mate.   Still the guide must consider the partner at all
times, and the partner should always be contributing to the navigation
of the team towards the aim.

Every path taken will provide challenges and tests of will; intervals
of stability and steady, smooth effort; and well-deserved rewards.

As a team, every challenge is negotiated together.  A few are larger
than life and nearly impossible while others may quickly pass often
without notice.  The smaller tasks can become commonplace and merely
require a signal to exert the modest effort to prevail.  If the team
has enough momentum, perhaps it is not even noticeable.  Some are like
roller coasters, the next one is always right there, just keep the
momentum going and these may even seem easy.  Those which are not
apparent until you've actually reached the end can be disheartening,
but don't give up.  Then there are the big ones, the ones which require
the most tenacity by the team.  Be careful not to exert too much at the
beginning and struggle near the end.  And watch for false peaks, which
are only intermediate goals towards achieve the final end.  Every once
in a while, a change of position to alter the attack or to give the
charge some extra effort can render a renewed sense of purpose.  The
effort can be long and arduous, so take turns giving a little boost to
the team.  In the end, the team will be successfully if they work together.

Almost every challenge has its rewards, even if small; every down has
its up.  The rewards can be exhilarating, refreshing, a relief, a rush!
A magnificent sunset with no one around for miles, a night under the
stars, a fine bar of chocolate - imagination has no limits.  A chance
to coast along  with little effort, to indulge in the prize of a
challenge met and conquered.  Enjoy these rewards, for often they don't
last long as one might wish.  Savor them individually, savor them as a
team where the momentum of two will be greater than either could attain
separately.  Yet, amidst the bliss of splendor, don't forget the
responsibilities to the team, to the other person.

Rare be it for periods of constancy to occur.  Don't expect those
smooth and flat stretches to be very lengthy.  Maybe relaxation and
enjoyment of an easier effort are in order, or perhaps a chance to take
advantage of the stability to push the pace and explore some limits. 
During these stretches, it's probably a good idea to stretch a bit and
change position, just like when challenges are being fought, except
here, the change is to keep smooth, not to alter the attack.

But beware, constancy can inspire boredom and a wandering mind.  A mind
that says I'm not doing my share.  So one starts to work a little
harder.  The other in turn notices and also expends a little more
energy, not to be outdone.  The team has succumbed to a cycle which
increases pace and requires an energy expenditure greater than
necessary.  Watch for such traps to avoid coercing an unnecessary challenge.


But none of this can happen without some essentials - some of which
include trust, cooperation, compromise.

Each, as individuals, has their own style, but these must be blended to
induce the harmony of the pair.  The styles may not be entirely
compatible, compromises must be made by both for the team to work in
unison.  One may like to smell the flowers, the other to reach the
goal; one may be patient, the other impatient.  No match is ever
perfect, but compromises in style can make it work.

The team must cooperate.  Deciding on a destination together is the
first step.  As the team travels, use their individual strengths for
their benefit and make up for their collective weaknesses.  Work
through the differences in ideas, thoughts, styles to provide
smoothness and comfort for both.

Complete Trust between the two is absolutely necessary.  Trust that the
guide holds a steady course, maintains complete control, provides
necessary adjustments and commands when necessary.  Trust that the
partner will back that direction, not counter the course the guide is
taking, and respond to directions.  The well-being of the team depends
on this trust.

Any team or situation demands communication.  This team must
communicate as well.  Initially this may be verbally, but as the pair
travels together, they learn about each other.  They learn subtleties
of movements, the meanings of actions, anticipation of what will may
happen next.  As time passes, each can respond to non-verbal clues from
the other.  Soon they just do, as if by magic.

Oh, and one other thing about this team.  Don't ever tell them they
can't, they'll leave you in their dust before the statement is finished!

It will take effort to get two moving as one, in synchronous motion. 
Once the team is moving, they carry a lot of momentum with them and
will hard to stop!


Being as one, they travel together, enjoy the beauty of their travels,
endure the hardship it may bring, but most of all it provides a unison,
a unity of spirits.  A oneness and uniqueness that is readily recognizable.

The pair working together always; individuals, but one, when together,
as a team. It can't be any other way.

So is this the story of a pair on a tandem, or a tandem to the story of a pair?