Two Boats and Two Bus Rides

Took the Carris 742 bus down to CUF Hospital to start up a relationship with a new physician. Been here long enough and this old '72 Chevy body needs to be maintained. I mean I am leaking some oil and the cruise control only works intermittently. My knees have rusted but they are still functional. 

Problem is the appointment I set is for tomorrow. Sigh. There was miscommunication with the person who gave me the date. I believe she told me it was Wednesday but it was 1 February which is Thursday. So be it. I was not angry, disappointed, or holding any other negative emotion. I was just empty.  Not an awful place to be after a disappointment. 

On the 742 back I read my Facebook stream. One friend posted a lovely bit of wisdom repeated by Thich Nhat Hanh,(thank you Rozan). It reads:

- The Empty Boat –

A monk decided to meditate alone, away from his monastery.

He took his boat out to the middle of the lake, moored it there, closed his eyes and began meditating. After a few hours of undisturbed silence, he suddenly felt the bump of another boat colliding with his own.

With his eyes still closed, he felt his anger rising, and by the time he opened his eyes, he was ready to scream at the boatman who had so carelessly disturbed his meditation. But when he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that it was an empty boat that had struck his own. It had probably gotten untethered and floated to the middle of the lake.

At that moment, the monk had a great realization. He understood that the anger was within him; it merely needed the bump of an external object to provoke it out of him. From then on, whenever he came across someone who irritated him or provoked him to anger, he would remind himself, that the other person was merely an empty boat, the anger was within him.

I smiled after reading this. I actually had not let disappointment (an external object) provoke anger today.  This to me is a win. I am sure it is just one of many empty boats I will face today and in the days to come. It is my hope that I can attain the level of equanimity to face them all with acceptance rather than anger.

The plan today is to head out and down to the Museum of the Orient. Loren and I have planned a series of museum visits over the next few days. What good is it to live in such a large city if you don’t immerse yourself in its culture and atmosphere? 

We will take our time travelling to and exploring the museum. Learning about the history and culture of this place doesn't mean there isn't time for a coffee and a pastry now does it? After the museum, there may be more enjoyable wandering. It being in the mid-60s with sunshine, a stroll along the Tejo can't be ruled out.

And a little piano jazz can only make the day better.