I saw another one of those things that annoy me today. Yes, I know it's quite clear by this point that lots of things annoy me. I have a problem with margarine. I'm not that crazy about convenience stores. I sure as heck am not crazy about the nightly television news. But you're here, and you're reading this, so I'm going to keep on going.I saw an expensive car taking up two parking spaces. Two GOOD parking spaces. Right near the front door of a fairly busy building. That sort of thing just burns my butt, it really does. First of all, it's exceedingly rude to the rest of world. The implication is that this person thinks that he is so special that the basic rules of civilized courtesy do not apply to him. Whenever I think of that, it makes me want to suspend my sense of civilized courtesy and write dirty limericks in the car's finish with my car keys. But I don't, because I've always been taught to do unto others....
But I'm still mad. And I'm also a little sad. Because now that I've had time to think about it, I really feel sorry for the owner of that car. It must be awful to have that big expensive car and not have the money to repair it if someone dents it...and it must be sad to live in a constant state of fear that something will happen to one's car. It must be sad to have so clearly and obviously failed to have grasped the key to a truly happy life:
True Joy can come only through total abandon
Think about it. As long as you're afraid of breaking/losing/ruining an item, you can never fully enjoy it. You can't savor an ice cream cone without destroying the source of enjoyment. You can't drive a great car without putting some wear on the engine. You can't place a piece of art on display without exposing it, over time, to the effects of light, air, temperature, dirt and moisture that will eventually lead to its fading. Use of any item that you value will cause that item to deteriorate over time. The answer to this, though, isn't to lock the item away. The answer isn't to take up two frigging parking spaces, either!! The answer is to use the item. To use it with abandon and savor everything that it can provide. To embrace the beautiful of the item today because time will make that beauty fade, and you can't fight time. To use it today because there's no use saving your joy for a rainy day. Why? Because EVERY DAY seems rainy when you're not savoring all the joy there is to be had. It's not like you're going to run out...the more you make, the more you have...you'll be amazed at how much there is to enjoy in life, once you start looking for it.
As always, I look to know your view as well
