Here I am a grown women standing in the locker room at the gym in a panic.
I tear my gym bag a part dumping all its contents all around me.
I can't find it. Nope it is not here.
Darn, where did I leave it? At home? No. I am sure I didn’t take it out of my gym bag. I must have left it here.
I put on my gym clothes, lock my stuff up, and head off to the front desk.
There I find a lovely lady, who is much taller than me and wearing an ever so patient smile. She asks how she can help me.
“I can’t find my water bottle. I bought it at Starbucks about ten years ago. It is green with butterflies on it. It has been with me pretty well every day since. I think I left it here. Do you have a lost and found?”
“Yes, it is over on the co-ed side.”
Off I go to the cupboard of lost items where I hope my water bottle is hiding. Rummaging through the never ending pile of stuff I start to sweat. No water bottle. Ugg. A slight feeling of anxiety rips through me. Chastizing myself, "How could I have been so careless?"
Putting all the lost items back I went back to her and said, “no it isn’t there.”
“Well,” she said in a very calm voice, “maybe the cleaning lady took it to the back, I don’t have a key to her area and she isn’t in for another hour."
“I’ll wait. Thank you for your help.”
I go, do my work out, and the moment the clock strikes 6 pm I find myself standing once again at the counter. The cleaning staff is called. I am taken to the back and the moment she opens the door viola there is my water bottle.
I thank the lady profoundly and she tells me I had better put it in the dishwasher.
As I am walking to the front desk to thank my other helper I realize here I am a strong, independent woman who is still attached to her sippy cup! Honestly, that is so ridculous and I laugh out loud.
According to a View on Buddhism attachment is defined as not wanting to be separated from someone or something and includes an aspect of exaggeration or projection.
In other words that old friend fear displays itself in our attachment to things and people.
So, what was I so afraid of? Was it the loss the of cup? Was it my own carelessness? Was it I was going to have to get a new one and it wouldn’t be nearly a cool as the one I thought I had lost and I didn’t really want the change? Or was it a piece of my unique identity was no longer going to be with me?
It wasn’t like I was going to die or anything. It is just a water bottle. But, it got me to thinking about how attached we get to what is familiar, to what we know, the more we believe we want change the reality is we don’t want change at all. We are really attached to what it is we already know and it is only when we are faced squarely with the threat of change that the reality of our attachments becomes apparent.
Starting this weekend I am going to be letting go of twenty items. It is time to loosen that attachment to a few things.
What do youthInQ?
Pushing the boundaries of possibilities... think... create... imagine... express
When all the colours seem to say: Celebrate the beauty all around; Do a dance, be a clown. Hear the crunch of the leaves. Feel the freshness in the breeze. Just before the summer dies, The real beauty around us lies. Perhaps life is much like this. Grab the bliss On an Autumn Day. Songbird.Expression 32.2.19
Oh, that is better, I ab sorry the dust add sadd aroudd here really gets to me sobetimes.
Ahem. Gulp. Come closer friebd, closer, that is better.
If I could obly sbeeze– ever sibce Bapoleob blew off my bose I have issues. Yes the great Sphibx of Egypt, the keeper of ubiversal mysteries reduced to soubdibg like this! All because Bobaparte couldb’t see above the head of his horse, well let’s bot go there it just makes me upset abd upsettibg a Sphibx that doesb’t always lead to happy ebdibg.
AHEM. Better.
It doesn’t matter. No one comes to ask me questions or to how do you say it – or to dialogue. They just come to try and figure me out. Fools. If they would only ask I would give them the questions to the answers. It seems like centuries since anyone has asked me for a riddle. Hmm, now that I think about it, IT has been centuries. All because of that bad rumour that I would eat you if you couldn’t solve it. Yes those Greeks, always causing trouble.
No, the days of seeking knowledge and understanding; wandering the earth in search of new truths and adventure are behind us now. Everything has to be proven as factual - facts, facts, facts - leaving no room for other possibilities or discoveries. How dreadfully boring. How sad.
Thousasds of years ago men and women would adventure to where I am to do, to think, to experience, to quest, to live. Now they come to ride on camels, abd take pictures of sabd. They used to seek truths, bow they thibk they kbow it all. Yes, you have forgotteb. You thibk all of your abswers lie ib the tips of your finbers. Tap tap tap ob those gadgets. AHEM. AHEM.
At least - that is what some have you believing. Oh, it is far greater and grander than that. The answers, the possibilities. Perhaps you are here today with me to begin that discovery?
Oh look, over there. Ha ha ha, that father of three, the executive over there ob a holiday just fell off the camel. Gosh, I hope he isb’t hurt. Hee, hee... AHEM. No he is not hurt. Good, although he doesn’t look happy. Mind you if I fell off one of those beasts I probably wouldn’t be either!
Look over there lovers. Ahh. Lovers. Nice.
Oh No! Oh no! Straight ahead... ugg. For the love of Horus, here comes that crazy Archaeologist again with that television crew! Wonder what he is going to poke at today? Hey mister, when they designed me they did not give me a tattoo, they took a risk and figured you were not going to forget! Clearly, they should have written it down.Ouch! He pricked me with a pick axe – again!
I tell you my friend what I really need is a facial, a foot rub, and a little olive oil massaged into my shell – oh that would really be good right about now – sigh – I don’t need more holes put it in me.
Never mind them. Let’s talk about you.
So, would you like a riddle? Oh please, let me give you a riddle. Your life really does depend upon it and.... I promiseI won’t eat you!
And, to help you out, listen to The Bangles Walk Like An Egyptian as posted on YouTube - I like that one it has catchy little beat - and don’t forget to skip over to Bust A Blog and see what smart ideas she came up with this week!
I am the mother of most. My crown never wanes. My reign over the world, except in the Deep South – I don’t like it quite that cold - begins with the sharpness of “gee” . And, it may end in a group hug. Everything about me and from me is Royal, although most of you have forgotten. It is true I love being pampered, but why not after all I do for you, I deserve it because a third of you need me to live.
Who am I? What do you thInQ? Post your answer.
Pushing the boundaries of possibilities... think... create... imagine... express
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