Unexpected Wisdom
I often hear the voice of the Divine and find wisdom in unexpected sources. An overheard conversation between a couple in passing. A single line of something I’m reading or a song I’m listening to. The way someone might shoo a mosquito off the shoulder of a complete stranger without their knowing.
Or the old black man with the foul mouth and the fixed smile who writes my load tickets on the dock where I load my truck. He is a lifetime docker, worn and broken. His hard life shows on his face.
We are talking about the long haul I am about to make. The rate I make on this haul is minimal. I am enthusiastic about neither prospect.
Okay, I’m bitching about it.
He just laughs, stops what he is doing, looks me in the eyes and says “Take your time, enjoy the scenery, look at those azaleas, watch the birds and the trees, it pays the same either way, you might as well enjoy it.”
That’s my advice. Those are my words coming from his mouth. I am stopped cold. My frustration dissipates. The Universe has spoken directly to me through this man and I am grateful.
The message received, I take a deep breath and smile with this gift and continue on my way. Taking my time. Enjoying the scenery. The day passes peacefully.
The Universe is always talking to us. Telling us to be patient. To breathe. Telling us it cares. That we are loved.
Listen.
Image: “Finding” by Mario S Nevado
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Beautiful & SO true 💜
🙂
Sometimes, I feel like we are on the same path, but different dimensions. Or maybe siblings born in separate families…
Your long haul sounds delightful compared to the dark, calming meditative room my day will be in.
Perspective is a magical place to meet be around in.
It would be decidedly more delightful if I were the only one on the road, but I share it with people who regularly use their vehicles to control traffic and freely offer the one finger wave and people who think a truck can stop as fast as they can, nevermind that I weigh 92,500 pounds, or roughly 32 times as much as they do, give or take ten cars, or or or 🙂
But I find peace where and when I can ❤️
“Move around in” not “meet”
🙂 I translated that
I am sure it has its down side. I’m sure dark meditative room sounds, at the very least, intriguing to you. For me there is little to keep me out of my head. It becomes a personal challenge to stay in the moment. Since I live with a bit of a squirrels playground in my head it can get interesting. Although…. there is very little chance anyone will die if I lose my focus!
It often feels like my main role as a driver is to not let people hurt themselves with my truck. Next comes not thinking too much. 12 hours a day alone in the cab of a truck can lead to thought loops 🙂 Delivering the load is secondary.
Thought loops, yes that is what happens to me. “What if I’d said/done… how did I ef that up? Again.”
Sometimes I would like to just shut down the thinking/feeling parts of my brain and exist in lizard mode.
If I poison someone or get run over by a truck I probably wouldn’t care so much.
Alas, I am not a lizard or snake (I’d rather be a snake) so I continue to allow my sophisticated thinking brain to run like a squirrel. I’m working on the squirrel behavior, but it can be a process. 🤪
Rough process. I once wrote a story about a man who thought he was a squirrel. I’ll see if I can find it 🙂
Just try to remember that you are not your thoughts. You are the awareness behind them.
Yes, the realization that I am the awareness is part of the process of change. I love challenging myself to see things from as many different perspectives as possible. If you don’t mind I will continue to think of your driving past the beautiful azaleas and round trees as a pleasant retreat from my routine. I love what I do, I just need to find the azaleas and trees that present themselves to me. 🙂
It would be fun to read the story you wrote about being a squirrel. I’ve always adored squirrels, but I can’t say the constant change of direction, and the hyperactive unorganized mental activity is where I want to be. The up side to being a squirrel is they are persistent little darlings when there is something they set their sights on. Like the food you put out for the birds.
The squirrel story is… different 🙂 If I’m lucky it’s long lost.
Yes, I suppose it it considerably easier to take in the elements when you work in them. Maybe the challenge, then, is to find a way to either bring them in or bring yourself out to them more often. There is a sacredness in nature.