Yesterday, as I was driving home, a police officer pulled me over for turning left in an intersection, just as the light was changing from yellow to red. The nose of my car was already past 'the point of no return', and the cop simply decided to nail me. It took me a few hours after I was handed a hefty fine to calm down. FYI: Did you know that there is now an option on traffic tickets to have your fine reduced, without going to court, if you mail your ticket to your local municipality within 15 days?
I kept mulling over the reason as to WHY I got the ticket. And I thought, if there's a reason for everything, then surely there was some reasonable explanation as to why I got stopped. You know what the reason was? The cop was simply doing his job, and I was the sucker who got caught.
KARMA is a bitch. You live your life trying to do everything right, and some days, it's hard to keep your head above water. Me? I go to work, and I get snarky attitudes from all kinds of people. I walk the streets of Toronto and see doom and gloom on the faces of people walking by me. And you know something? I get it--life's hard and it's a challenge to plaster a smile on your face all the time. There's so much angst and aggression and chaos that exists in our world--why, oh why can't people keep it together?? Because we need to experience the entire spectrum of our emotions. That's karma.
When my grandmother was recently hospitalized, I began to question the universe and G-d. Why did such a lovely, unassuming, thriving lady get struck with a hemorrhagic stroke? What was the lesson my family had to learn from this horrible incident? I'll tell you what it was: the art of patience. We're a tough bunch, my family--we're very vocal and often aggressive. And my grandmother's hardship softened all of us. We had no choice but to 'walk on eggshells' with each other.
Interesting correlation: I believe that the recent lunar eclipse (blood moon) had a major impact on us, as a species. I spoke to many people who felt depleted, dehydrated, deflated and depressed during the week that followed the Oct 8th eclipse. WOW--the cosmos really does have an effect on our moods and well-being. THAT'S KARMA. As hard as it is to grasp, we were all supposed to feel this heaviness. And without difficulty and strife, we would never know what happiness feels like.
When it comes to people I've lost through death or severe illness, I throw my hands in the air from frustration and utter sadness, because we have no control over who goes and who stays. The most amazing people can lose their lives in the blink of an eye, and when their number is up, there's nothing anyone can do to change the course of history. KARMA SUCKS. There are intense lessons to be learned in times of great hardship. We can kick and scream, but, for how long? We have to fight through some agonizing times. We have to survive.
Here's what we all need to do more of: RELAX. SLEEP. INDULGE IN PEACEFUL EXPERIENCES. We need to forget our troubles sometimes and immerse ourselves in beauty. We can't deny ourselves simple pleasures.
We have to allow ourselves to make colossal mistakes. That's how we learn. That's how we mature. If we didn't make errors, how in the world would we know the right way to conduct ourselves?
KARMA bites. Yes, life can take a big bite out of you--but you need to gnaw and claw and inch your way back to the light, where you can sprout into your greatest self. Don't let karma win. Fight back.
I know you have it in you. WE ALL DO.
