I was strolling through the park one day, in the very merry
month of, umm, August, and what should come strolling by? Why, if it wasn't
another conceptual enigma, surrounded by a shard of evolutional brain stem
activity. It was an epiphany, a lightning bolt from the data base above, an
elusive encounter with the forces of all that remain mysterious to just about
everyone else. I had a revelation of sorts, first of which was the realization
that it was raining out, and I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, with sandals
to boot. At least I had my baseball hat on, which provided me with an adequate
level of protection from the onslaught of wetness, that is, until it became
soaked, along with me.
There I was, strolling along, smacking the pavement with my
trusty staff, and I thought about something that I had written in an email to a
friend, just days before. I thought about how poignant the catch phrase was,
and how it defined different aspects of my life, and probably all of our lives
in one way or another.
The phrase I thought of was simple, short, and so
descriptive of so much of my life.
Absorb, adapt, and advance.
That's it. That's all there is to it. Nothing more, nothing
less. Pure and true to meaning, yet it's ability to stretch and mold itself to
perfectly fit with pretty much anything anyone ever thought and did. A concept
that surely would, and has, withstood the countless tests of time. Three words
that described so many times in my own life.
I thought back on different times in my life when I absorbed
the actions, reactions, the diverse obstacles, the plethora of days when I just
didn't think all of the crap would stop charging in on me. The endless ways
that life turned the corner and came out of the blue, full speed, with no
amount of merciful pleading being able to halt its undaunting advances. The
twists, the turns, the ups and the downs, all of which seemed to be heading
straight for me. No warning of an iceberg, straight ahead, no flares shot up
into the night sky, no flashing hazard lights on the construction signs,
nothing, just me, and them, alone in a room, one against the other, with only
two possible outcomes. Either they got the best of me and I found myself
rendering the familiar white flag of the French, or I found the ability to
continue on with the meanings of the other two words in the catch phrase.
I think we all find ways to adapt. We all find that little
corner of our cowardly lion heart that has just had enough, and figures out a
way to take everything in stride. Yes, we all get knocked to the left, then as
quickly as we find our balance, we are sharply pulled to the right. If that
isn't enough, there's the sudden jerk backwards that can catch us completely
off guard. I hate those. I hate them with a passion.
I have adapted to so many things over the course of my life,
I really don't think it's possible to recount them all. Adaptation is the main
ingredient in which I have become. It's the great equalizer that keeps the
needle pointing north. It's the wonderful internal mechanism that winds us up
and walks us through no matter what. It is the tincture of life that endures
the absorption of countless battles that life holds. It's about nineteen ninety
five at your local pharmacy or health food store, but you better hurry up,
because this years trendy blend probably won't work for very long. Stinking
future, always changing and all. The nerve!
I adapt. It's what I do. It's who I am able to be. It's what
I am all about. I really have no choice though. It's what I do, because I
choose to live, and you can't just live without trying. It's just not that
easy, and yes, we all know that nothing worth while ever comes easy. Right? Can
I have a hell to the ya?
I think I have found that every day is a challenge, some
more than others, but a challenge none the less. If I am lucky enough to rest
my head on my pillow at the end of the day then it's probably safe to say that
I have adapted my way through the day. Hey, that rhymes. Hmmm.
Focus...
Ok. Hi there. How are you doing? Have you been able to adapt
today? Have you found yourself thinking something through and changing your
initial plan? Have you found yourself doing something out of the ordinary
because of something that happened unexpectedly? Have you found yourself
cleaning something up, or gluing something back together, or pushing something
to the side, or eating something for supper that you didn't even know was in
your cupboard? Has your day altered from its original plan? Has your initial
concept taken a visual trip way, far away to adaptation land? Has your temper
been shortened, or your patience been thinned, or your emotions in general been
put in a blender?
How did it make you feel? How did you handle it? How did
you, adapt? Did you take the ball and run with it? Did you find yourself on the
other side, catching your breath? Did you find yourself gazing back at the
twisted tanglement of taunting torment, completely exhausted, but with a new
sense of pride? Did you find another unusual and unique way to adapt? Did you?
Did you? Well? Did you? I bet you did, and you probably didn't even know it.
You're so clever. Far cleverer than you probably know, or give yourself credit
for. Now, don't let it go to your head, because you're gonna need another fist
full of humility before it's all said and done. It ain't over 'til the rather
large, rotund lady entertains us with her wonderment of musical oration.
Some times my fingers take what I'm thinking, and do some
wacked out stuff. Are they adapting? Did I just adapt? Have I just received a small
sample of adaptational evolution?
Well then, seeing how I was fortunate enough to enjoy such a
trendy ability, I think I might just be getting outta here. I need to take a
hint. I need to advance, to move on, to start heading towards the next unsuspected
adaptational absorption.
Through all of life's adversity, all of its relentless hills
and countless valleys, I find a way to take another step. I find a way to pile
up the seconds into minutes, into hours, and end up with another day. I find a
way to take the good with the bad, and make the best out of what's left. I find
a way to watch the daylight disappear into the speckled, starry night. I find a
way, and as we all do, I try to take a moment to reflect. So much to think
about really. So much to sort out and process. ? So much to be thankful for,
and grateful for, and feel blessed about.
? The human spirit is such an amazing, beautiful, endless
supply of energy, faith, and love. It's such a pure start to all that is good.
It's a gift from the heavens above. It's a joyous shout, a tearful cry, a
smiling hug followed by a curious stare. It's an advancing melody of harmony
and soul. It's a wonder anyone ever stops advancing at all, seeing as how much
there is out there to help make us whole. It's a wonder that this big blue
marble doesn't bounce itself right out of the universe, with all the advancing
going on.
I really have no other option, but to keep on advancing. I
have made a decision, whether it be fully conscious, or something that's been
embedded into my core from day one, but it is a plan of attack that defines who
I am, and what I am all about. It's just something that I do. We all do. It's
just something that I have to rely on, to be able to survive all of the amazingly
weird things that this world has to offer.
There was a time, not too long ago, when I didn't think I
could advance any more. I didn't think I could adapt from all that was going on
in my life. I didn't really know if I actually wanted to. I had a hard time
absorbing all of the diversity, and adversity. I had a hard time figuring out
why a lot of things had happened to me, but why not me? Why wouldn't these
things happen to me? Why would I ever be any different than anyone else, who
also might experience the same things that were happening to me? And even more,
why wouldn't I be able to adapt and advance with my life, no matter what happened
to me? I am, after all, human, just like you, and you, and well, ok, you too, I
guess. I am, of course, no better than the next guy, but also, I am no less
than the next guy either.
I think my brain is absorbing signals that detect an
emptiness in my belly. I have adapted to the feeling of being hungry, and I
realize where I am. I ought to advance out to the kitchen, so I can find me
some chocolate.
Have a good day everyone, no matter where you find
yourselves advancing to.