When Life Gives You Lemons

In reality my post today has nothing to do with life giving you lemons. But when I found this photograph that I made several years ago in the charming almost 100-year old house that was the first home my youngest daughter bought, it seemed like a good caption for the photograph at the top of this post.

When Life Gives You Lemons

Thinking about the idea of life giving you lemons got me thinking about life and how you never know for sure whether something that happens is a good thing or a bad thing. There is a Zen parable that goes like this…

Once upon a time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.

“Maybe,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.

“Maybe,” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

“Maybe,” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

“Maybe,” said the farmer.

–Zen Parable

I have seen enough things in my own life that mirror the Zen parable, to hesitate to judge anything as good or bad. Surprisingly I have found many hidden blessings in the pandemic that I never would have imagined. Though I did not think I led a busy life before the pandemic, I found great freedom in having an unbroken string of hours and days with no appointments or places to go. Many of my friends have reported similar happiness in the midst of this crisis.

Hidden Blessings

I believe that many of the benefits that I have experienced have been due to returning to the core practices of gratitude, choosing joy, spending time in silence, giving and doing things for others, and seeking to make real connections with those I love despite the challenges of not being able to be together.

With the climate crisis causing more and more disruptions and difficulties I hope that the silver lining of the current very difficult circumstances in the southern United States, is that we all realize the urgency of addressing the climate crisis with as much energy and determination as we are now giving to ending the pandemic.

It is a kind of

Hero’s Journey

that I think we all need to embark on.

Joseph Campbell talks of the hero’s journey being one of several stages:

• The ordinary world
• The call to adventure
• Accepting the call
• Cross the first threshold
• Entering the unknown
• Trials, tests and the supreme ordeal
• Moment of despair
• Ultimate treasure
• Homeward bound
• Rebirth and the champion’s return

We still have to accept the call to address climate change with all of our will and determination. There are other challenges we also need to address—addressing racial inequality and dismantling white supremacy, ending unremitting mindless consumption, creating communities that support us a human beings instead of spending our days meeting our needs through social media, movies, and sports events.

I read an interesting article this week in Kosmos Winter 2021 issue called Deschooling Dialogues / On Initiation, Trauma and Ritual with Francis Weller. I found it fascinating.

Here are a couple of quotes from the article. If you take the time to read it, it will probably challenge you but I think you will find it very enlightening. I did.

It seems to be very difficult for people to be critical of the culture in which they are enmeshed within. There are all sorts of mechanisms that dominant cultures use to further socialize and entrench us including patriotism, nationalism, supremacy, progress, and even the idea that you should be grateful because you would be nothing in the absence of the existing culture. How does one disentangle themselves from identifying with the all-pervasive dominant culture? How do we get to the boundary-dissolving states that allow us to see the true effects of culture?

   — Deschooling Dialogues / On Initiation, Trauma and Ritual with Francis Weller,    Kosmos Journal, Winter 2021

The work right now is to become immense. We have to get our arms around immense things. Violence and hatred and bigotry and racism. And also around love and compassion and devotion and a certain fidelity to protect what is alive. We have to become immense. This is not a time to become small.

  — Deschooling Dialogues / On Initiation, Trauma and Ritual with Francis Weller,    Kosmos Journal, Winter 2021

May you walk in beauty.

Note: All of the photographs in today’s post were made in my daughter’s charming little house