Time to Reflect: Step 26

“So the thing to do when working on a motorcycle, as in any other task, is to cultivate the peace of mind which does not separate one’s self from one’s surroundings. When that is done successfully, then everything else follows naturally. Peace of mind produces right values, right values produce right thoughts. Right thoughts produce right actions and right actions produce work which will be a material reflection for others to see of the serenity at the center of it all.” This quote from Robert M. Pirsig came to me Thursday on my Page-a-Day calendar. Having read Pirsig’s seminal work, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, more than twenty years ago, I found myself nodding in agreement. Yes, serenity at the center that is the silver lining. My purpose in writing this blog is to produce stories you reflect upon, which put a smile upon your face, and which make you as that fine comedian, actor, and former late night television host, Arsenio Hall said, respond with, “ah-huh,” or simply, “ahhhhh.” Maybe there are too many h’s in these, but you get the point. This coming Tuesday I will celebrate the one month anniversary of this endeavor. All right, so it was a short month, only twenty-eight days, but a month, no less. As any writer knows, you start out staring at a blank screen, formerly known as a page. Software producers, so enamored with the “real world” of bricks and mortar and paper, decided to call a selected group of pixels in a given area a page. But, whether pixels or ink, the purpose is to render words, sentences, paragraphs, and ideas meaningful to the reader. Now, while I have never owned a motorcycle, my wife has two brothers-in-law back in Wisconsin who own a Honda and a Harley. Both of them are hard working souls who maintain beautiful bikes. Earlier this week my wife shared with me that the Harley owner liked what I had written. This put a smile on my face. Over the course of this past month my writing has explored my childhood with a few reflections and a bit of news and current events. Although the content looks back over my shoulder with a bit of nostalgia, the intent, as one of my friends pointed out to me before I became aware of it, is to provide commentary on our current circumstances and render a way of looking toward the future. After all, if we survived the past we have a clue to how we are going to make it in the future. And, it is my purpose not just to survive, but to look for that silver lining, find the serenity at the center, and flourish. About a dozen comments have appeared in response to my writing. In addition, a number of you have emailed, a few have phoned, and some have talked with me directly or indirectly. So, Stan, if you’re reading this, go ahead click on the comment button and let me know what you think. That goes for the rest of you, too.