esrosedotblog

IRREGULAR

I have a new irritant in an otherwise calm life.

The delivery of the morning LATimes has become sporadic.

Some days, it arrives at a wonderful, easy, convenient time before 5:10 AM.

That is just the moment when I am finished meditating and am about to start my second breakfast stint with the paper.

Yes.

Note the disconnection between the goals of meditative practice and, potentially, the most disruptive experience of the day; politics, war, corruption, murder, bad movies.

Nonetheless, it is my habit to conjoin the two.

For a very long time, the paper arrived around 330 AM.

No problem.

Recently, with new delivery people, it has started arriving just before the time that I want it or, impossibly, as late as 6AM when I am out riding my bike!

This all sets me up to spend my meditation time listening for the roarrrrrr of the truck and the thunnnkkkk of the paper hitting the driveway.

This is an interesting experiment in mindfulness; to detach in the face of outward tension.

Breathe, note the discomfort, let it rise as a bubble and disappear, breathe.

I know that I could come to see this as another piece of grist for the spiritual mill: that the paper and the world that it displays is simply passing show; an illusion.

But, shit, goddam, hell; it would sure be easier if the nice boys who used to arrive at 330 AM would come back to the route. Or maybe I could get the current paper-person to get up a little earlier.

The holiday season is upon us and tip time is near. Maybe a short note with a generous tip would help my return to serenity and peace.

I know that bribery is a spiritual shortcut; a detour on the road to nirvana; buying my peace with a material solution.

But I am of the west, not of the east. Shortcuts are my game.

We will see.

As the waters pass under the bridge, perhaps I can speed them up a bit before I jump in and go with the flow.