Becoming Zen Master

You know when something really bothers you, and you wish you can stop thinking about it, but the thought of wishing you can stop thinking about it just makes it harder to not think about it?  And then one day, you're in the middle of something, and you catch yourself not thinking about it, and it is such a great feeling.  At that moment, however, you have a choice to make: now I'm reminded of it, I'm going to start dwelling on it again. OR, I've thought enough about it (with all the accompanying "sad feels"), tried my best to resolve it, and maybe, at least for now, I can let it go.

Embrace your little moments of freedom.
Practice, so that liberation becomes your life choice. 

This is not about choosing ignorance.  Ignorance is bondage, never liberation.  Every obstacle or setback presents something to be learned - something to be learned of yourself.  Sometimes we're aware enough, or even equipped, to take the lesson.  Sometimes we're not.  Sometimes we learn the lesson, and we're set free.  But most of the time, it's taking the lesson, and clumsily applying these lessons to our lives; and then one day, you suddenly realize you're not bogged down any more.  You run free in the meadow, through the forest - you're no longer breathing under water.   

We stumble, we hurt, but we grow.  I used to think that understanding something - like really understanding something, the way a philosopher would study and ponder on a single subject for hours that turned into days that turned into weeks and months and years - would set me free.  I was right for a little while - I needed to learn - I was shopping for tools, but I think I see the bigger picture now - the light at the end of the tunnel so-to-speak.  The good old "I think therefore I am" now looks like:  I think, I feel, I embrace, I learn, I practice, I live.  

Tool gathering is essential.  I take all my interactions with people, books, blogs, TEDTalks, Pinterest quotes, etc., etc., desperately sweeping armfuls into my tool chest.  And when shit happens, I drag out my tool chest, pour everything out onto the ground, and frantically start to see what works.  Most of the time it takes more than one tool.  Sometimes I realize I can get a better tool, that an old tool no longer serves me.  What's more is that I realize often it's not a one-person job.

Like opening a jar of pickles:  I put a screwdriver to it, clumps, pliers....  Outside of the tool chest:  hot water, doors, gloves, clumping the jar with my legs and putting all my weight into unscrewing it.  But you know - at least for this scenario - what is always the best solution?  Getting my man to open it.  (Of course, that's after I've done all the work to "loosen" the lid.  ;-P)  Next time I get into a (jar of) pickle, I know better what to use.  I'll have better techniques because I've practiced.  I've also practiced asking for help.  It wasn't always easy.  It still isn't.  But I know I can't do it all alone.  I don't always have/get help.  But when I do, I cultivate and strengthen some of the best relationships around me while some are letting me down.  You just never know what will happen.

You know the saying "the more you know, the less you know"?  The objective of learning is not to close off your mind, but rather to open it.  The key is to stay curious.  

The best way to show someone you're a know-it-all is to say:

And curiously, today, on this beautiful Friday afternoon, I'm feeling: liberated.