Little Nudges

It's easy to ignore the little happenings in life. You intend to go one way, but since there's an obstacle, you take a new route. You pause to hold the door open for others, and that little shift in timing shuffles the deck of the rest of your day. Do you make eye contact and say hello, or do you walk on by? Little insignificant things, with the potential to change a day, and a life.

When I was 16, I bought myself a motorcycle. If anything was to convince me of some beneficent overseeing power looking after my well being, it'd be that I survived that era. When my bike died, as a result of a blind eyed old lady (that I thought was going to die of a heart attack on the spot) pulling out in front of me, I decided that, with winter coming on, I'd better go for a car this time.

I was drooling over this Pinto that the guy had dropped a 302 small block into. But since he wouldn't allow this young whelp to drive his insanely overpowered machine, I passed on it. Then I took the 64 Falcon convertible out for a spin. 289, header pipes down the sides, 3 on the floor, kicked me back in the seat when I punched it at 90. If he'd o' come down a dew hundred, that would have been one sweet ride. Then my dad called. “I found you the perfect car.”

So he takes me to meet this little old lady and her 1964 Corvair Manza. 30,000 miles. Fashionably retro. Great condition. Now, some Corvairs were coupes with rag tops and turbo charged engines. Pretty sporty for their time, except for the whole flipping into the air at high speeds thing. But the Manza was a sedan with big wrap around windows and a whopping 90 horse power from the factory. (Hard to say how much that had dropped by the time I adopted it, as it was almost as old as me.) It was the complete opposite of what I was looking for, and I knew immediately that pops was right. It was the perfect car for me.

My whole attitude toward the road changed, over night. I became one of the pokeyodos. No hurry. No more video game inspired sporting about. No need for the rush, of the rush. Take in the sights. Enjoy the air. (That was a few years, and many cars less, ago.) Share some stories or do a little dharma dueling with some friends. A leisurely drive up the river to sit by the falls and get really zen, before tooling home, at what felt like a walking pace.

It was just a car - one small decision, “I'll take what's behind door number B”. But how much of an influence was that in my becoming the character that I am today?

Each choice, each action, each thought, each focus nudges your trajectory. Some a little, some drastically. Hence, the value of refining both one's intuitive skills, and one's greatest intentions.

The stronger ones sense of purpose, the truer the course. If you choose to let the winds blow you about, you'll have a lovely journey, but won't end anyplace in particular. If you feel that specific things are truly important, then setting and maintaining a course will more likely get you to your desires.

“But the goal is to be here, now”, I hear echoing in some readers' minds. And while this is true, we still have our lives to live, and not everyone is content to just let it happen to them. (The illusion of control/choice being an argument for another day)

Back on point: The clearer people are about their priorities, the clearer their intuitive “voice” will be, in guiding them toward their wishes. We can adopt teeny temporary priorities, mid range ones and aims beyond this life, too. And the list is always a work in progress – whether one's aware of it, or not. (That one bears repeating) They're a work in progress, all the time – whether one's aware of it, or not. Our attention subbing for our intention, whenever we're not minding our energies.

So, if you're not mindful about your goals, your guidance system will have no given guidelines to direct from, or to. So it's signals get murky, and it's largely dismissed and allowed to atrophy. Then, as it remains unused, it becomes ignored and forgotten.

Each choice, each action, each thought, each focus nudges your trajectory. The thinker is woefully inadequate to calculate all the variables. Fortunately, we can develop and use an “ESP”, if you will, that can help us to determine which little nudges will likely move us in the “right” direction.

Your choice … worlds consequences.

Calibrating my compass:

May my presence on this earth help to shift humanities communal consciousness toward a more compassionate and harmonious way of being, and encourage other individuals into actions that are more compassionate and harmonious toward the earth and all other living beings, now and into the future. And, may I pick the perfect papaya from the pile at the market place.

Om, shanti, shanti, shanti.