I'm moving through life differently nowadays. I ain't gonna rush no more. Unless the train is RIGHT THERE, but after I get on... There's a smile on my face and the tiny details I once used to judge every poor soul who crossed my path are slowly fading away. Because I'm learning (somehow) that the clothes do not make the man. Maybe we were wrong - maybe this IS in fact your father's Oldsmobile.
As I grappled with my new questions about life I had to figure out what the whole praying thing was all about. Because if I'm nothing here at Capitol J at least I am honest. And if I pursue Christianity I'm gonna have to figure it out. Praying.
No one can deny the effect praying has on a person. Whether you believe those effects are emotions or feelings triggered by a chemical reaction in the brain, OR that there is some sort of positive life force coursing through this material world (Chi) that praying people are tapping into, OR that God hears prayers and answers back in subtle ways, the effects of praying is DOING SOMETHING to people.
I won't lie, I believe in some sort of karmic energy that rewards me when I take care of my body. Exercising makes me feel good and then good things start happening in my life. Superstitious? Maybe. The Butterfly Effect? Maybe. Either way, I believe something beyond the physical, visible world is at work.
So this morning, while on the train (which I ran up the stairs to catch!) I prayed. I closed my eyes and prayed to God. It was a short, simple prayer. I wasn't my usual eloquent self, but I got my point across. At this point in my spiritual journey I'm throwing these prayers out there based on faith alone, like notes tied to balloons, or a message in a bottle.
When I was finished praying something interesting happened. This may or may not be slightly embellished for dramatic effect, but three different people sitting across from me looked directly into my eyes and smiled. Smiled! On the train! The same train where we knock over little old ladies for that prized open seat!
And then - and then I turned my head and looked out the window. We were crossing over the Potomac and the reflection of the sky in the dirty, dirty water shocked me with its beauty. I looked up and (I shit you not) rays of sunshine were piercing the dark clouds just like they do in the movies when something Heavenly happens!
And suddenly I felt like Roddy Piper in the movie They Live. In it he finds these secret magical sunglasses which give him the ability to see the aliens who live among us. Christians and anyone who believed in God, etc. were always like aliens to me and I lived my life among them. And now I feel like I got the reverse magic sunglasses which allows me to see the humans underneath.
If you don't know me by now, know this: I believe in symbolism. Without it we're a drab bunch. Everything we do in life, no matter how insignificant or trivial, symbolizes who we are. In that sense, we practically wear our hearts on our sleeves.
And that's my story for the day. Good luck, Godspeed, Go Bears.
1 comment:
It was a rather angelic morning.
Post a Comment