Zombies

I was preparing for a zombie apocalypse in a pretty serious way. Serious enough that I called Revel to ask him how he thought I should store the 100 gallons of water I getting ready to buy. You know, in case the zombies come. He didn't miss a beat. “I got all the water you need. Don’t worry about it.” Just like, that he reeled me back in.  He did suggest that I ease up on binge watching The Walking Dead, though.

At least I knew my zombies weren't real. (Mostly).  A friend of mine, on the other hand is convinced her zombies were real. Darlene is dating a guy for the first time after a nasty divorce. Her zombies are the fear that he will cheat on her or that he’s not being honest. She’s so busy preparing for the zombies that she can’t enjoy the journey to where ever this new beginning is leading her.  She’s convinced that something bad is right around the corner and by God and all that’s holy she’s going to be prepared this time!  

The answer is not to be better prepared for the bad we think will come, although I do have a good supply of shovels now.  The answer is to strengthen our faith through the joys of daily life. There is power in the ordinary moments that make up our days.  When we take time to completely absorb the happiness in every moment we are able to live with uncertainty more easily.  Sinking into the daily happiness of laughter with a friend, a hug from a child, a cup of well made tea keeps us grounded and retrains our brain so that we don’t treat every knock on the door like it’s a zombie attack.  Instead, we can actually enjoy the happiness that is right in front of us. It’s that whole stay in the moment and attachment is suffering thing that Buddha tried to teach us.

‘Cause, here’s the thing, uncertainty and ambiguity are as much a part of the wilderness experience of being human as sex and rock and roll. They aren’t going away, nor do I want them to. We need them because they create a space for Spirit to have a voice in our lives. It’s that gap between what was and what will be where new beginnings are formed from the ethers of our Soul’s dreams. We prepare best when we surrender to what is, and trust the unfolding of our lives. It’s either fear or love, baby. Let’s hear it for dreams.