Honing My Karma

Illustration: Gemma Correll

If I just stick to my own thoughts and mind my own business, things are fine. (Except for the incessant noise of that damn snow-blower next door; God those people are annoying!) After all, I'm not homeless, sick or destitute, or locked inside a Turkish prison, or wherever they imprison people these days for having pot in your backpack. It's like this most days: Until I read the news life is beautiful, which must be why those Tibetan monks go off for silent retreats on distant mountaintops, attaining levels of peace and tranquility most ordinary people can only dream about.

I had plans for a two-day silent retreat of my own starting today since my husband was leaving at five this morning on a business trip and not returning until after midnight Friday. It was going to be great: I would go for long walks (it's going to be in the forties today and tomorrow!), cook myself healthful meals, completely ignore the news, paint, meditate, and generally polish up my dharma and karma.

But Mitch overslept, something he has never done in all the years we have been together, so his trip didn't happen. Instead of silence we talked all morning, if Mitch cursing himself for oversleeping and me telling him there are worse things and besides there's an ice storm where he was headed and chances are his connecting flight would be cancelled anyway can be considered "talking." I skimmed the newspaper and found several quite depressing articles, especially the one detailing the dire situation in California where many people died when they were swept away by mud! (Imagine the death certificate.)

Thoroughly disgusted with me, my Inner Witness stormed off, taking my dharma and karma with it. Since then I've been reading emails and playing Words With Friends, and now I'm writing this post. So much for finding inner peace today. Maybe tomorrow.