The middle path

Across the street and over a few houses, lives a gentleman who is a little out of the ordinary. Occassionally I will see him out front of his house, either on my way to or coming back from work. Most often he appears to be air fighting some invisible being on his front lawn. Other times he's pulled his futon couch out and decided to read a book in the front yard with nothing but his boxers. Last week I noticed that he had posted a sign out front of his house. In multi-coloured marker he wrote "Jeffs Backyard Bash: Where Nirvana meets Hell. Single ladies welcome", amongst other nonsensical scribbles. It got me to thinking. About the middle path. Admist the chaos of city living and simple living. The middle path that exists between Nirvana and Hell. Often times we feel far-extended to our limits. And often times when the heaviness of it all reaches its piercing limits, fleeing from the noise and constant commotion seems like an alluring alternative. Escaping the reality of life by running away from our responsibilities really isn't necessary, though we can certainly make some refined but prodiguous changes to bring ourselves back to simple living. Since becoming committed to my practice of meditation, I find that the tranquility and peace and inner silence spills over into other aspects and areas of my life. Taking the time to sit with ourselves daily will help calm the storm that races in our minds. By developing this equanimity within oneself, our relationship to the world becomes less stormy. Before I moved last year, I had a lot of stuff. And a lot of that stuff wasn't even mine. But my life had become a dumping ground, for everyone. When I moved I cleared out a lot of the heaviness in my life and let it go. And made a committment to keep life light and simple. As consumers, consuming less means living lighter which creates harmony and balance. Just like a tree, life sometimes needs pruning. Letting go of the heavy limbs that weigh down life we ourselves become so much lighter. And so does our relationship to life.