Rainy day thoughts
October 24, 2008 – 10:00 am
Zippy doodles
It always amazes me what dogs can teach us about life. As humans we are always so busy trying to interpret the world around us that we often forget to simply enjoy life as it is. Years ago I saw a Doonesbury comic strip called Naked in the Periwinkles. In the comic a wall street guy came upon a dog lying belly up like Zippy here in a field of periwinkles. The man immediately began to order the dog to take action.
“Hey dog. Don’t you know you’re wasting your life away. Don’t just lay there. Get up. Get a job. Get a mortgage. Get a Lexus.”
The dog didn’t flinch.
The man kept yelling. “Hurry up. You’re wasting time. The world is moving around you and you’re missing it. Get on the information superhighway. Go, go, go.”
Still the dog didn’t flinch.
The man tried one more time and once again the dog never moved.
In the last frame, you see clothes flying and cell phone set aside as the man and the dog lay naked in the periwinkles.
I love this comic strip. It says what the talking heads on television cannot. Some days it pays to surrender. Not give up, not stew over your 401-k balance or grieve the housing slump. Just let it be. No need for panicked action just to feel like you are doing something. Just let it be.
So often we are afraid of inertia or we equate it with losing. But there is a solace in quiet contemplation. In communion with nothingness thoughts pass through the mind like leaves blowing in the wind. Life takes on new definition. Stillness breeds awareness and awareness breeds presence.
On days like today, when the market is panicked, when innocent bystanders are getting sucked into the rush or trampled by negativity, I encourage you to remember Zippy’s approach to life.
This too shall pass, and the sun will shine on new opportunities quite soon. When it does, you and me and Zippy can dance together. Until then, keep the faith.
