Some of my reflections on this New Year day:
I just came back from a restaurant where I spent the half an hour before 12:00 A.M to be with others before the beginning of the New Year. I was talking to a cab driver about what happens on this day in his work. I found out that many people are taking advantage of the cab service to get them to the bars and to drive them home afterwards. The cab driver records the time of when they will be leaving the bar and collects in advance for the return trip. Many of their prearranged fares do not show up for their return trip. He also described to me in detail the time at the beginning of a New Year morning he took this lady from the bar who threw up in the back seat of his cab. He said to me: "That smell is something I will never forget. I charged her another $40 to have it cleaned up." I also talked to this very lonely and unhappy older lady who I have seen there before struggling through her problems. She wants more out of her confused life, but she does not know how to end up where she wants to be. She uses her religion and her concept of God to help mask from her what she does not understand in terms of what is not working for her in her life. She wants to be close to other people in her life, but when she tries, she finds a big wall thrown up in her way. She sees it as God protecting her from what she is not ready to experience. I talk to her in an effort to provide her with an opportunity to have someone to talk to about what she is thinking and feeling. I think this may have helped her. I felt adventurous and decided to be different. So I drank a couple glasses of wine instead of my usual glass of Coca-Cola or Sprite the "Uncola", which is out of the ordinary for me. It was a Red Cabernet. I also had a whole slice of Banana Creme pie. It did not have the large chunks of banana that I like to find in this type of pie, but it was still good. Afterwards, the thought came to me that the banana creme pie ended up being my dinner. I left the restaurant when I found some couples start to come in after 12:00 A.M. from the party where they had their New Years celebration.
You know something? This is not turning out to be as bad of a New Years holiday as I thought it would be now that I am "signle" again. Now I just need to finish my download from the Internet so I can go to bed and wake up later into the New Year. I wonder what awaits me in this 39th year of my life? I ponder the important questions to life that help define my existence in the Cosmos. Where will I end up living? Who will I end up working for? How many checks will I write still noting the year as "1997"? Whose life will I touch? Who will reach out to touch mine? And the most important question of all: where is the stock market going to next??
I remember the time God came to me one day in the past to reveal to me the secret to a happy, fulfilling life. He began in his deep, resonating voice, which was much deeper than the voice I use for the thoughts in my head, so I knew it had to be someone else talking to me other than myself: "Mr. Graham. You have missed the most important lesson that is there to learn in your lifetime, here on this oversized rock that hurdles through space that you call the Earth". He said this to me in very slow, measured tones, taking his time as though he had all of eternity to relate this news to me, and thought I did too. "Mr. Graham. Take a guess what that secret is!". Geez, only I would end up with a God that has a sense of humor! I told him I thought the secret has already been out for a while, that water goes counterclockwise down the drain in the northern hemisphere, and goes clockwise down the drain in the southern hemisphere. And I finished be telling him: "And you know what God? Water goes straight down the drain at the equator". He must of been impressed, for there was a long pause. At this point, I swear I could sense his Head shake around me. I must of really impressed Him. I think He was actually speechless! Then He said to me: "Mr. Graham. Despite your attempt at bringing what you see as enlightening news to me, that was not what I had in Mind". I said: "You mean that there is something more important than this knowledge that has taken Man many years to collectively understand so it can end up as a report on the science channel called Nova?". Once again in that deep voice of his, he said in very measured tones: "Mr. Graham. It may be very difficult for you to believe, but I have not created all of Heaven and Earth and that vast place out there you call the Cosmos for Man to learn how water flows down his bathroom toilet". This indeed did take me by surprise! He continued by saying to me: "Mr. Graham. The secret is very simple. The secret is for you to allow yourself to be open to and pursue possibilities. Everything will work out for you from there. That is how I created the World to operate. Remember, Mr. Graham, life is an adventure. It is your purpose in life to enjoy the ride". At this point with my eyes open wide, I thought to myself: God watches automobile commercials??? God finished by saying to me: "By the way, Mr. Graham. Water moves clockwise down the drain in the northern hemisphere, and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere. I have not designed it to work the other way around. I see that you have slept through your Physics classes in college. For that matter, I see that you have been sleepwalking through your life". This turned out be a turning point in my life as I rushed to my bathroom sink to turn on the water and watch which way the water went down the drain.
I wish everyone here a very happy New Year. You know the difference between "options" and "possibilities"? Options are what you are given, and possibilities are what you create for yourself. May the options that you find yourself with come from the possibilities that you have created for yourself.
Happy New Year!
Bob Graham |
