Cope Springs Eternal

With the state of the economy, the endless “he said, she said” of politics, and the everyday work/life/relationship struggles, sometimes it’s all too easy to feel sad or overwhelmed.  And every morning, we wake up to those same challenges again.

We humans, at least those of us in fast-paced, “modern” cultures, have gotten away from some of the natural rhythms of life.  With our noses in our computers, tablets, and cell phones, we barely look up enough to see the seasons and the cycles of Mother Nature.  Our ancestors seemed to understand more fully that “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose.”  By honoring Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, they lived the Wheel or Circle of Life and understood that “this too shall pass.”

So how does understanding the Wheel help us to cope?  First, it always helps me relax a bit more when I remember that life IS a wheel, and so it will always keep turning, no matter how slowly, and indeed, each event will come to pass.  And second, it reminds me that I should live in each season and embrace what it has to offer, even if it doesn’t match up with what I want at that particular moment.  In other words, it’s baking and enjoying homemade pumpkin muffins at Thanksgiving, instead of being mad that I can’t have fresh strawberries.

The Mayan Calendar has been in the news lately because of some misinterpretations of it as a Doomsday Prophecy.  Perhaps part of the problem came from the fact that the Mayan term “World,” which is more properly translated as “phase,” was taken literally.  So when the circular Mayan Calendar said “end of World,” well, you can imagine the panic that ensued among the misinformed.

This December 12th is that “end of World” moment in the calendar.  But guess what?  It keeps going then!  One phase will end and a new one will begin.  Hopefully, we’ve learned something from the last go-round, and we can apply our new wisdom to the next turning of the Wheel so that it rolls a little smoother.  If not, I suggest dipping that pumpkin muffin in chocolate and cracking open a pint of ice cream . . . .