Anything exciting going on?
Artists and writers are often asked where they get their ideas. Ideas, like change, come from within (mostly). The Zen monk asked the hot dog vendor to “make me one with everything”. Normally, this is a request for a hot dog with all the trimmings. But Zen monks know they and all of us are already joined to everything in the universe. Our atoms come from our food, drink and growth and they, in turn, come from all over: farms, water supplies, etc. Their atoms come from even further all over so we are already joined to, one with, everything.
The Zen monk paid for his hot dog with a $20 bill. The vendor put the bill in his cash drawer and closed it. The monk said, “What about my change?” and that is when the vendor said, “Change comes from within.” The bills and coins won’t come from within but ideas, whims, insights and observations do.
I used to have a fun little routine with my niece, back when she was about ten years old. I’d say, “What’s happenin’?” and she’d answer emphatically, “Nothin’s happenin’.” “Oh, c’mon, something’s happenin.” “Nothin’s happenin.”
Many people think that excitement comes from explosions or new cars or trips abroad but that ordinary old minutes at home or on the job are nothing special. But swallowing or taking a few steps or seeing a bird land are all miracles. Every minute, wonders abound on every side, above and below. True, it takes some mental energy to spot them and appreciate them but we are swimming in a sea of marvels and we always will be.
