The Beast

This is a bike I bought to ride to work. I call it "The Beast." It has also become a metaphor (another one) for my current life situation. It's an old bike, that has memories of being young and new. It doesn't want to be a commute bike, but rather a race bike. It doesn't want to ride in the rain, rather prefers the sunshine. And like me, it likes to argue with "what is."

Arguing with what is, is one of the ways that we create suffering. You can't win, after all we all know that what is is. Like the bike, I would prefer not to be aging, not have to go through one more job, and especially not get attached to people who I really like, people who believe that I can some how fix them, and in reality all I can do is point the way. Rinpoche has stressed lately that suffering and happiness are in the mind. In essence you simply choose. Getting to the place where you actually make the choice is a little more complicated.

It has also ocurred to me that I have parts acting out caused by the stress of a new life movement. Like most of us, I don't handle change very well. I have states of consciousness each morning who say they don't want to get up, then stall until the last possible moment to get on "The Beast" and actually go to work. Ahhh, life. I have thought a lot about these states or parts. I'm sure the young man who couldn't make the choice to follow his bliss is screaming at me "not another stupid job," and the older young man who ended up in the army is quietly saying "it's too late." Fortunately I have an ego that is pretty much on board, and whispers "it's never too late," and my Observer Self just laughs.