Revolution

Revolution

     Revolve.  Things go around.  The planets, the galaxies, the seasons - they all revolve.  They experience a revolution regularly.  The earth revolves and the sun comes up, then goes down.

     People cannot be exempt, living on the earth as they do...but when they remark on a revolution, they're usually talking about something rapid, something difficult, something to be feared or hoped for.  They're usually not talking about Spring, they're talking blood and politics.

     I, however, am talking about something in between the revolution of the earth, and the revolution of 1776.  Lives, too, can have revolutions.   In that case, the change is more like what happens when you revolve a kaleidoscope...all the little bits shift and fall into an entirely new picture....the same only in that the bits are the same bits that were in the previous configuration.

     This phenomenon is caused by the very nature of existence, not by personal choice enforced by personal will.  Reality just does this sometimes.  We spend (I spend) a silly amount of time attempting to predict these revolutions and are so far from understanding the mechanics of this sort of change that it's as though there's been no progress in forecasting at all.  We (I) like to pretend that if one achieved a state of enlightenment, one would understand these things.  Hogwash.  Physics certainly tries...but then has a lot of trouble when it comes to people and their consciousness.

     The best we can do is try not to loose our balance, assuming we're not a talented physicist (and I'm not).  With age, I'm better about knowing these things have little to do with me; this allows me to feel my surprise, instead of trying to pretend I know what the hell just happened.

    I seem to have gone from grimly enduring a trailer park existence with no hope of improvement, working a a tedious job until I could die in my traces to retired home owner in scenic small town.  At the same time, one of my daughters has gone from financially going down for the third time as her chosen profession offers no opportunity,  to being enthusiastically pursued by two successful employers, both of whom are positively wooing her...offering her wonderful professional futures.

     Why now?  Why not. Who knows.  Would be nice to think that we had contributed to our current good fortune in some way....hard to point to just what that contribution was.

     We agree that the important thing is to feel gratitude.  And I do.  And a little anxiety about the next turn of the kaleidoscope. I mean, this time it's great - I'm a home owner again....Last time I landed in a trailer park.