Maybe

Here's a story the Jin Shin Do teacher told our class last week. It's about a man whose only horse ran away. The neighbors came over when they heard the news and said, "What bad luck!" The man said, "Maybe."

The next day the horse came back, and brought 4 wild horses with it. The neighbors came over when they heard the news and said, "What good luck!" The man said, "Maybe."

The following day the man's son rode one of the wild horses, was thrown off and broke his leg. The neighbors came over when they heard the news and said, "What bad luck!" The man said, "Maybe."

The day after that the Army recruiters came to town, but because the boy's leg was broken, they didn't draft him into the army. The neighbors came over when they heard the news and said, "What good luck!" The man said,

"Maybe."



It's an interesting paradox to hold, my situation, I mean, as a lover of signs and portents who understands that all my attempts to interpret these signals are faulty at best. I believe reality is co-created, moment to moment, so how can I see the future? How?

Still I can't resist the temptation to try to understand in which direction I'm headed, even though I don't have a clue whether I'm spot on or way off base. At least I can try, right?


The artist’s will is secondary to the process he initiates from idea to completion. --Sol LeWitt


One reason I love walking the labyrinth is because it's a meandering path. When I started the practice, I often became disoriented as I walked the pattern, even though I knew intellectually that a labyrinth is not a maze. There's one path only on the Chartres style labyrinth. So many twists and turns, though, worse than Highway 1 north of San Francisco.

All the portents of the moment point to huge life changes this year, necessary but rigorous. I talked about these changes all last year but ended up doing nothing. But now it's clear I need to act. I'm trying to imagine that in my life path I've just reached another hairpin turn on the labyrinth. Today's strategy is to slow down on the inside in order to move more mindfully through this swirling pattern of change. Is that a good idea?

Maybe.