The Week That Was
CBMUSED at 8:21 am Category: LifeTags: beliefs, cbmused, expectations, karma, Life, plans, week
Monday - A couple of middle-aged strangers knocked at my door. I spoke to them through the one way security grill. The man in the beret accompanied by the frumpy woman asked, “What would it take to bring peace to the world?” So they tried their bible talk on me. I cut them off. “I don’t think. I’m not religious. I don’t care.” They asked if my non-religion status is a recent thing. “I’m not the right person for you”. And left them to go on their merry godly ways. I should have opened the door wearing a towel and told them I had company.
Tuesday – I woke up to the deafening unplugged silence when my online connection was severed. I cursed and fretted. No promises were made to restore connection in a timely fashion. Wearing a little disguise at the internet café with no privacy and nothing but the chatter of backpackers packed close, I looked over my shoulder as I updated my site with the Unplugged post, with the screen minimised, then deleted browser caches.
Wednesday – I had a dream that I died in a car accident and went to heaven. Except heaven was a sterile air conditioned environment run by matronly women in their 50s. I demanded to see certain people who have passed on but they gave me nothing but excuses. “I’m in heaven, right? So let me see them now!” Yeah, even in heaven I can kick arse.
Thursday – Karma can be good to you or it can bite your arse, provided you believe in it, and at best of times I sit on the fence. But sitting in the company of a troubled stranger, conversation started and I found myself offering support and advice to which the woman was ever so grateful. Unknown to me at the time, she had slipped a feel-good compliment which was highlighted to me after her departure. Karma was obviously very kind to my arse.
Friday – Things seemed to come together and then they didn’t. Just as my gut feel told me. There was some give and some take; an ebb and flow of events, feelings, thoughts, inspirations that were neither here nor there. The self-diagnosed control freak within just shrugged and continued, unabated. With an evening spent with the laptop in bed, a few glasses of my favourite red, the television in the background, working on a project, life is nothing but cruising.
Weekend – Whether it is beliefs, non-beliefs, personality, karma or expectations, life has a way of continuing, like you, unabated, surprising one minute, disappointing the next, then enthralling and elevating to new heights. Nothing is ever easy, for sure. Plans can be met or thwarted. Life, and consequently happiness, are always what you make of them.
And I made good.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Next time you dream yourself into heaven I suggest taking a halo with you. If you shine it up the right way they will never be able to tell if it is new, used, or borrowed.Also, for your Monday encounter - You could have opened the door in a towel and invited them in. Talk about a test of faith.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Monday: Returned from morning surf to find mysterious stranger had placed photo of me out there surfing all on my own under my car windscreen wiper. He or she must have had one of those Sony cameras that work like the old Polaroids. Spooky. Tuesday: Long drive and photo sortie in the hope I could write a column and flog the pics. Still haven’t got it together. :(Wednesday: Put my head down and did some work, and didn’t take any photos of anything much. Ate hot dog for lunch.Thursday: Interviewed the person who would ultimately replace me, and felt a little smug. Considered increasing contract rate. Took photos of stuff to put up on ebay.Friday: Spent whole afternoon paying out blonde workmate who had been bailed up in lift by geeky, slightly creepy, born again christian. “I think he likes you!”, I cajoled. Took photos of the sunset with an imported Stella Atois in hand. None of that “bottled in Australia” dishwater pour moi…Weekend: Got PISD. Post IKEA Stress Disorder. Ate two IceKEACream Cones as consolation. Regretted it sometime later. Took photos of lounge to figure out how furniture would ever fit. Beat my head against Filezilla and its reluctance to deal with an errant 1.8Gb file… but eventually triumphed. Made fairly dramatic and slightly scary plans to redirect finacial future, amidst the swirling sea of life’s other uncertainties and surprises. Wondered what life might be like in 12 months time… and concluded I had no idea.
May 26th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
That’s a spiritual week if any. :)Monday: In times like that I usually give praises to “the other side” inviting them in for a discussion and joining in a ritual sacrifice. It’s fun to watch them leave in a huff.Tuesday: Boy…you really take the anonymity to a whole new level. I’d go crazy if I wasn’t at least plugged into the net with nothing to do for long periods of time. I think you and I should go to addiction anonymous. :)Wednesday: If heaven is populated by people who give excuses? Who’s running the “other side”? Somehow, you in halo and wings and kicking arse is a vivid image that I can’t stop chuckling at. Don’t ask me why. I just find it funny. :)Thursday: I don’t think you have to believe in karma to know whether it works. There are actions and reactions. We do what we know to be good. Sometimes that’s all it takes. If that makes you and other people feel better, consequences that come give you just what you need, sometimes though…they give you what you want.Nothing in life would ever come that easy, doesn’t mean it has to be that hard. Knowing such wisdom is easy. You’ve shown than accomplishing it is as easy as getting up and walking to where you want. That makes you really wise, to practice what you believe in. Probably so much we could learn from you.
May 26th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
GSR: I see your comment re the strangers will take you straight to hell!
As for a halo, you seem in the know. Know where I could beg, borrow or steal one? casue I’m, more the devil’s type than an angelic vision.
Gboy:
M - secret admirer?
T - Oooh, I’m intrigued!
W - Hot dog?
Th - Amazing how some people think they’re worth the $$ they charge. When they’re not.
F - Ahhh… a man of good taste. What’s the point of locally brewed stuff?!
W/E - Oh boy… there are so many similarities here, but I’ll shut up!
Kami:
M - you win!
T - Let’s go!
W - Hahaha!!!! So funny… I didn’t have a halo or wings. Tiny horns are more my style.
Th - I don’t know that I gave it much thought. It felt right to help this stranger because I had something to give. maybe it’s all in the intent. Who knows.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
“What a queer thing life is,” said PG Wodehouse. I somehow knew from your writing that you had a nice arse.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
I love how you risked anonymity to update your blog to let us all know you were “unplugged”. I was actually wondering that when I read the post … I was like, “Wait! How can she be unplugged if she’s writing a post?!” Thanks for answering my inner question.
May 27th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Gorilla B: Why thank you, Mr B. I’m so envious of your abilities to see a derrière through words. Could you teach me, perhaps?
EM: I know it sounds crazy but I felt better once I did it. I guess it’s like RL, if your car breaks down and people are expecting you, you’d let them know. Going incognito was fun, because I knew they’d be no privacy!!!