AUTHORIZED ENTRY
“If the key is bent-the lock will not open.” Rumi
My great nephew, handyman extraordinaire, installed a keyless entry pad on the main entrance to our house. He set the system to recognize the thumbprints or individualized codes of the primary occupants of the house. My thumb is recognized less than fifty percent of the time (human error) necessitating my use of my code. Several times I have exceeded the threshold of attempts with the thumb and had to resort to the manual backup procedure. My digital key was so bent that I could not enter the house. The manual process is not easy, so I now stop before exhausting the attempts and enter the code.
Given the above scenario, it is easy to understand why the simple quote above caught my attention. Balance is a key to my serenity! Routine is a key to my balance! If either is out of order, then serenity is locked behind a door. Intuitively I know both facts well and am intentional about the pursuit of each. Sometimes I allow my ego to suppress the intentional pursuit and end up where I had no intention of going. My serenity is greeted with the words that I hear from the keyless keypad, “operation failed.”
Serenity, defined as the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled, able to focus on what matters in the present moment, is a worthwhile goal. One is not troubled when faced with one of the unavoidable certainties of life – its ebb and flow. Serenity is an inward state not dependent on an outward environment.
Experience is a great instructor and has taught me to do a manual fix when I discover my key is bent. What might that look like?
My goal is to exercise minimally thirty minutes per day, and read, write, or paint five days per week. These are the building blocks for my balance. When interruptions interrupt, 1) I physically stop and verbally express gratitude for the two or three days of meeting the goal rather than bemoaning what was not 2) accept the interruptions for what they are – opportunities to do or be something for someone else 3) do the manual hard work for restoration.
Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Every breath can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.” “Can be” is the operative part of the equation which indicates, choice.
My serenity is based on balance and choice. If I am out of order physically, emotionally, or spiritually, I am unbalanced. It behooves me to choose to keep these keys as unbent as possible. My serenity depends on it.
What are your bent keys? Find them and unbent.
PONDER THIS THOUGHT---Knowing the key to opening the door to serenity requires inner work.
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