Happenstance...Fate

Awake and arise. Stumble around. Make coffee, get the computer fired up. Read email, tour the internet. Get some of the news. Post my blog. These are some of the things I do every morning. Every morning.

I scan things I am supposed to be doing and noting approaching deadlines. These include projects, estate management items, blog topics and writing, column ideas, themes for approaching newspaper editions and things like that. Ideas begin to flow.

Sometimes the ideas take surprising shape. All by themselves. Some ideas get nudged by  various topics – get me thinking in different directions. Vectors. Swoops of thought. A tickling awareness peeks out of nowhere, then disappears, and maybe reappears 30 minutes later.

When the tickle turns to itch I begin writing. Fifteen minutes later the page is filled. Logic gives rhythm and paragraphs tumble into being. A blog or column is written. A logjam of ideas is set free. The brain is ready for other tasks.

Balancing the check book, planning auto maintenance chores, and thinking about special projects for the Chamber of Commerce, or the Park District or the Arts Council begin to build a presence. Notes are written. Emails are sent. Questions are posed and some research usually follows, including more emails and Google searches.  The hunt is engaged for collaborative thinking and creating.

This activity attracts more activity and a variety of people bump into my consciousness. Which reminds of a quote I caught the other day:

“We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.”                                            ~Author Unknown

Some call this fate. I think it is more complex than that.

Thinking begets more thinking. Disciplined logic clarifies ideas; more points of connection between ideas produces still more ideas. All of this generally leads to more understanding, especially interdependent ideas. Knowledge of our surroundings grows. We are more attuned to the ‘world’.

Many of my friends will say God works in mysterious ways. I’m not sure that’s what’s happening, but I do accept that the world is what it is and we rarely capture all of what it means. It is just too big. I hope it is God acting in my life. I hope it was meant to be. But like people we don’t meet by accident, I also think we find ideas because we are disciplined to do so. They are there. They need to be found.

And then used appropriately. The better their application the more fruitful is our labor. First we have to be open to the experience and engage it.

Buddha is reported as having said:  “Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are; it solely relies on what you think.”

Am I thinking good things? Am I even thinking, purposefully or not? Am I too idle? Do I allow life to happen to me? Or do I ponder and build.

I think the latter. I know I’m happy. The thoughts must be the good kind.

Now to use them!

July 8, 2013