The Joy of Life

"A flower falls even though we love it and a weed grows even though we do not love it." - Dogen Zenji

Confused yet? :) To me, this quote is about control, or lack thereof. It takes a lot to take a step back and realize that we don't have full control of our lives. We may think we do. We may micro-manage every detail of our lives, but in the end, does it always turn out the way we wanted or planned? No. Why? Because everything happens as it's meant to.

The road of life becomes a much smoother surface when we sit back and enjoy the ride. Now, this doesn't mean do NOTHING in life. Pursue your passions, reach for your dreams, live your life, but also ENJOY it. Yes, times do get stressful and hard, but maintaining an inner knowing of 'this is how I planned it out' and 'all is as it should be' helps to keep a level head through the hard times.

Let's take planning a wedding for example. You sit down with every vendor possible. You look at every venue. You taste every cake. You plan every second of music. You plan every detail of the flowers. You dress up all of your friends. You stress over every detail involved and become a crazed fool. And for what? Did all that planning and stressing stop the rain from falling that day? Did stop your dad from stepping on your dress? Did it stop the flower girl from crying while her mom dragged her down the aisle? Did it stop your groom from passing out at the alter? Did it stop your mother from drinking too much at the reception? Did it stop your cousin from puking into the plant at the reception hall?  No.  The day happened as it was meant to, regardless of how much time and energy you spent stressing over trying to make every detail perfect.

Life is so much more fun and easier to navigate when we let go and enjoy the ride. Keep your true intentions firm in your mind. Keep your desires, wants, and wishes at the forefront so that the Universe can listen and guide you along your journey to your soul's true purpose. Because, at the end of the day when we lay our head down on the pillow, another flower has fallen and another weed has grown. That's the way life works folks.