Fire

Be careful walking on coals the wise man said. People have been known to occasionally get their toes burnt.

courtesy of
http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=3518630034&size=large

Oh you mysterious wise men. I probably should have listened to you sooner. 

See, there is an incorrect implied meaning here.  People normally take this quote to mean that sooner or later you will slip up and get hurt when you are doing something dangerous.

But let me introduce a new perspective. This isn't about the people who are doing the "dangerous" act.  It is about those watching.  See, the by-standers don't like it when the status quo interrupted. Things must be as they always are, they insist. 

Then they see those brave enough to walk on coals or swallow fire (literally or metaphorically) and something must be done to dissuade others.  What if everyone walked around with that kind of bravery or confidence?!

Be careful walking on coals, because occasionally people have been known to get pushed, assaulted, criticized, or worse.

Be careful.

But the funny thing is, the longer you stay down on those coals, the more your toes get burnt.

Don't Worry About Tomorrow

"Don't worry about tomorrow, you did that yesterday."
As I drove by this church billboard, I couldn't help but chuckle a little. Sure I did that yesterday, and I got up, went to work, did a nice job, and drove home past this sign yesterday too.  But today I read the sign.

And I disagree with the chipper attitude displayed hence. Sure I worried about tomorrow yesterday.  But the majority of my worries didn't accumulate until I woke up this morning. How am I going to make it through another long shift? How long can I postpone getting out of bed and still have time for coffee?  Will I have time to throw together a peanut-butter and jelly to-go for lunch? And that was only over the course of five minutes. Then starts in the to-do list: charge phone; don't forget ipod; get gas; study for test on sunday; practice lines; play music; clean car; don't forget to smile...

You know, maybe if I spend more time worrying about tomorrow, I'll be too exhausted to worry about today. And I'll get through, in a zen-by-default one day at a time attitude. And maybe I'll take up yoga, and spend hours meditating on the simplicity and deep complications of one single day....But that was the alarm on my phone. I don't have time for this today. Maybe I will worry about that tomorrow.