9/9/14
Elul 14
15 of 40
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‘Trust in Allah but tie up your donkey’ goes the Sufi saying – with it’s modern adaptation – ‘have faith but lock up your car.’ or bike.
So here’s a life lesson about non-attachment and about better handling of loss. I rode the bike to school yesterday, relishing the hour long ride along the river, got there just in time for class (‘Leviticus’) locked it up firmly in front of the seminary and three hours later emerged to only find the front wheel and lock where I had left it. Anger? yes. Blame? for sure? Grief and guilt? check. Did I not lock it correctly? I usually do but I was in a rush. A friend consoles with the loss of others – lots of bikes get stolen on Broadway. 
So now what? deep breath, acceptance, make sense of losses, big or small, not take it personally and plan to get a new one, somehow, ASAP. Like a combat pilot whose plane was shot down – get on the next one, fast.
Life lesson? dignity and acceptance in the face of loss. Less drama, less blame of self and others. Are there hidden forces pulling strings to teach me lessons and/or anything at all? Or is it all just random and a stolen bike is just a stolen bike? Either way, a lesson in the fact that shift just happens and how one rises to the challenges is what makes one stand firmly in life, wheeling and dealing our way through life. Today’s task: where do I lose it when shit happens and how can I be better set to take responsibility when I need to, blame less, fume less, and be grateful for what IS.
Fix attitude.
Hey, at least they left the lock. Ready for the next bike. May losses lessen and lessons be learned each and every day.
