Long Walks On Leafy Streets

11/21/2013 Tuckerman St NE, Washington, DC
Today I woke up feeling a little cloudy, just like the gray skies outside. The past week has been very hectic. Between preparing tests and helping students during the final few weeks, trying to finish up my extra-long-term research project, taking care of my parents etc., I feel exhausted. Apart from that there are times when, for whatever reason, the mind is a bit muddy. It could be lack of sleep or rest or nutrition or a combination. Even though I know better, my ego and emotions are not co-operative. I worry about the things I need to do but have not accomplished, feel frustrated with people who are being difficult and am generally unhappy with the way things are in the world, what with climate change and poverty and violence and everything.
After cooking lunch (I work from home today) I went out to dispose of compost, recyclables and trash. It wasn’t very cold at all. The grass was mostly dry with a few clumps of green in between.
Apparently there are some varieties of grass that are more resistant to cold weather. There was also a little patch of weeds near the back fence. The climate has been certainly strange, lately. A few days of very warm weather, then a few days of cold weather and so on, back and forth.
It reminded me to take life as it is. We hope for the world to be a certain way. But not accepting things as they are results only in frustration and anger. It does not help anyone, least of all ourselves. I tried to think of the things I enjoyed in the past few days. Walking home 3.5 miles on Monday and Wednesday albeit late and in darkness and not feeling tired or weak in spite of not eating much. Enjoying the chill in the air, appreciating the sight of increasingly bare trees and other signs of winter as if it were the arrival of a new world. Watching a couple of spectacular soccer games from UEFA world cup qualifying – one involving Ribery and his young cohort, many African in origin and the other involving Ronaldo and his breathtaking runs through the Swedish defense. Getting a plumbing problem fixed and heating units going at my home and at our rental. Working with students and helping them understand mathematics. Watching a show and a movie about Richard Feynman, and hearing this famous line of his about death: “At some point you realize you have said enough stories and they will last forever.” So there were many things to feel good about.
I then lay down for a few minutes, enough to calm down the mind. Then read a couple of chapters of Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Art of Communication.” There were a few gems that really helped me deal with what I was talking about earlier. He says that there are some people who are like hungry ghosts, whom no amount of love or understanding would satisfy. The other was his suggestion to treat every moment at work as if it were a meditation. Even if others don’t appreciate it, it would still create a positive atmosphere. Finally the last chapter, which is titled “Our communications are our continuation.” What a great coincidence! It was not only echoing what Feynman had said, but also reminded me that whatever I do that is positive and comes from a place of loving-kindness and compassion would live forever.

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