make manic monday mornings a walk in the park
You wake up, get ready, leave the house on time - there is absolutely no sign that there is likely to be anything but routine for the journey to start the second week of your new job, but I didn't even get that far.
The car battery was flat, I'd jump started it the previous day and taken it for a drive to give the alternator a chance to charge up the battery, but the fuel tank got low and in my joy at starting the car I hadn't left the house with any money to fill-up. So it was only in the morning that I discovered the alternator had apparently not charged the battery sufficiently - or it was faulty. I got the keys to my housemates car and got the jump leads ready. But after the previous days shenanigans the car's were now on opposite sides on the drive and the jump leads weren't long enough to reach across. Securing the bonnet back in place I jumped into the drivers seat of my housemates car in order to turn it around on the drive. I'd been given the unlock code to type in to the keypad of the immobilizer, but I’d foolishly remembered it wrong and entered it incorrectly, 3 times. It bleeped - rapidly and it dawned on me I had immobilized the vehicle, seemingly permanently.
Undeterred I thought that since I wasn't insured to drive the car to work and my housemate was by now on the train I would deal with this particular calamity later. I returned to my own vehicle to attempt to bump start it by rolling it round the corner. Heaving it back off the drive and through 90 degrees by myself took enough effort, but soon I had it facing down the hill of our cul-de-sac. I jumped in and rolled down, around the corner, twisting the ignition and pumping pedals, all to no avail and only just managed to halt before colliding with a red brick wall in front of the last house. With the car now illegally parked at the bottom of a hill and with insufficient time or money to catch a train for at least another hour, it was time to call my mother and then my new boss.
At this point my housemate unexpectedly returned home from the train station - I never found out what for since I thought it more important to deliver the news about his car. As he soon left again for the station he agreed with me it was an issue to be resolved later. By this time my Mum had rearranged her life and was predictably on her way, thus I manoeuvred the car to a more reachable position for the apparently 'short' jump leads. I also called into work and explained, perhaps not in full, the extent of my morning, I’d be there as soon as I could. The 'one-woman-rescue-squad' arrived shortly after this and we attempted to jump start the car, once, twice, three times (a lady) and as I rested my head on the steering wheel - 'Marty McFly' style, I expected it to start - it didn't.
The next task was to get it off the yellow lines and avoid a £25 parking ticket, which at least meant rolling back up the hill as far as our newly vacated neighbours drive. Only at my utter insistence did my mother take up the job of pushing the car from the door and steering as opposed to taking the full weight from the front, which I quite duly did. Three prolonged heave and indeed ho's later we roughly backed the car up on to the neighbours drive – having seen the hill since I have no idear how. By this time I could have conceivably cut my losses and made for the train but I didn't, though still out of breath we decided that after pushing the vehicle up the hill it would be worth one more go, - cue the jump leads. I cleaned the by now greasy contacts on both batteries and the leads and made sure they were secured extra tightly, determined this last effort would not be without just that. It went first time.
The next thing was petrol, I had enough to make it to the filling station, but all my belongings were by now locked inside the house with my front door key attached to the now functioning ignition key and I wasn't about to mess with that! So ‘you know who’ followed me to the pumps and paid for my petrol, where would I be? I did, however, have to perform the prohibited activity of filling up with petrol whilst the engine was running, which must be slightly more risky than using a mobile phone... Luckily I was covered by the noise of a nearby tractor-come-lawnmower and the busy hum of a whirling carwash. Mum paid up before we got away with out turning off the engine, heading back to the house with me removing my front door key from the ring as I drove. This allowed me access to the house to get my necessaries for work and after the usual attempt at gratitude where none is needed, that is where I headed.
I arrived at in my office at least two hours late and paid the price with a hectic schedule which ended with me making up the lost time at the end of the day, more by accident than endeavour. The email I got upon arriving at work from my housemate explained the immobilizer was on a thirty minute timeout and should function by the evening, which it did. I drove a van home as I'm working away tomorrow - I won't know till Wednesday if the alternator on my car is working – I’m thinking it won’t start. I left it in the same spot as where my last car got burnt alive so may be I'll never find out. Either way, it essentially means nothing, it's all a walk in the park.
I can't say that anger, frustration or impatience got the better of me at any point today. There was a fair amount of embarrassment, guilt and aggravation at the situation, but I was able to diffuse this as soon as it rose to the surface. This came through a knowledge that my perception of myself and the things that happen to me is derived from conditioned, pre-conceived and determined factors. On one level I am a human being with feelings and emotions living in a society that dictates I must have a job and transport to get there, the combination of which this morning could have lead to a great deal of negativity. On an another level I am not even flesh and bone, or cells or electrical impulses; not even elements, electrons, protons or neutrons - I am just a coincidence through various sums of these parts and affected by everything that I have absorbed as I have developed. Yet, before running into the vast emptiness of non belief in the self and therefore anything - there is a me. There is this life and being, my mind and heart; it is all I may ever know and is therefore very real. However, through the knowledge that this self only exists in the basis of our inherent understanding and perceptions, I am freed in my reactions to the things that happen in daily life - gaining independence from the pre-conditioned expectations of a modern life with it’s frustrations.
With the knowledge that we only inherit reality through perception and understanding; it can be seen to be just as natural, but considerably more worthwhile for everyone and everything, to react positively to negative situations. By remaining calm, well mannered, passive, patient and humble in difficult situations is undoubtedly beneficial, to yourself, the situation and the other beings involved. The only skill involved in this is the continued mental effort it takes, you must become a constant reminder to yourself of the true nature of your reality and remember the inherent, percieved and developed sense of a 'I' is just that and therfore subject to change . If everything we know and are, only appears as a reality it would be ridiculous to meet it with any negativity at all, it's just life, it is whatever we make it, for me it’s a walk in the park.
The car battery was flat, I'd jump started it the previous day and taken it for a drive to give the alternator a chance to charge up the battery, but the fuel tank got low and in my joy at starting the car I hadn't left the house with any money to fill-up. So it was only in the morning that I discovered the alternator had apparently not charged the battery sufficiently - or it was faulty. I got the keys to my housemates car and got the jump leads ready. But after the previous days shenanigans the car's were now on opposite sides on the drive and the jump leads weren't long enough to reach across. Securing the bonnet back in place I jumped into the drivers seat of my housemates car in order to turn it around on the drive. I'd been given the unlock code to type in to the keypad of the immobilizer, but I’d foolishly remembered it wrong and entered it incorrectly, 3 times. It bleeped - rapidly and it dawned on me I had immobilized the vehicle, seemingly permanently.
Undeterred I thought that since I wasn't insured to drive the car to work and my housemate was by now on the train I would deal with this particular calamity later. I returned to my own vehicle to attempt to bump start it by rolling it round the corner. Heaving it back off the drive and through 90 degrees by myself took enough effort, but soon I had it facing down the hill of our cul-de-sac. I jumped in and rolled down, around the corner, twisting the ignition and pumping pedals, all to no avail and only just managed to halt before colliding with a red brick wall in front of the last house. With the car now illegally parked at the bottom of a hill and with insufficient time or money to catch a train for at least another hour, it was time to call my mother and then my new boss.
At this point my housemate unexpectedly returned home from the train station - I never found out what for since I thought it more important to deliver the news about his car. As he soon left again for the station he agreed with me it was an issue to be resolved later. By this time my Mum had rearranged her life and was predictably on her way, thus I manoeuvred the car to a more reachable position for the apparently 'short' jump leads. I also called into work and explained, perhaps not in full, the extent of my morning, I’d be there as soon as I could. The 'one-woman-rescue-squad' arrived shortly after this and we attempted to jump start the car, once, twice, three times (a lady) and as I rested my head on the steering wheel - 'Marty McFly' style, I expected it to start - it didn't.
The next task was to get it off the yellow lines and avoid a £25 parking ticket, which at least meant rolling back up the hill as far as our newly vacated neighbours drive. Only at my utter insistence did my mother take up the job of pushing the car from the door and steering as opposed to taking the full weight from the front, which I quite duly did. Three prolonged heave and indeed ho's later we roughly backed the car up on to the neighbours drive – having seen the hill since I have no idear how. By this time I could have conceivably cut my losses and made for the train but I didn't, though still out of breath we decided that after pushing the vehicle up the hill it would be worth one more go, - cue the jump leads. I cleaned the by now greasy contacts on both batteries and the leads and made sure they were secured extra tightly, determined this last effort would not be without just that. It went first time.
The next thing was petrol, I had enough to make it to the filling station, but all my belongings were by now locked inside the house with my front door key attached to the now functioning ignition key and I wasn't about to mess with that! So ‘you know who’ followed me to the pumps and paid for my petrol, where would I be? I did, however, have to perform the prohibited activity of filling up with petrol whilst the engine was running, which must be slightly more risky than using a mobile phone... Luckily I was covered by the noise of a nearby tractor-come-lawnmower and the busy hum of a whirling carwash. Mum paid up before we got away with out turning off the engine, heading back to the house with me removing my front door key from the ring as I drove. This allowed me access to the house to get my necessaries for work and after the usual attempt at gratitude where none is needed, that is where I headed.
I arrived at in my office at least two hours late and paid the price with a hectic schedule which ended with me making up the lost time at the end of the day, more by accident than endeavour. The email I got upon arriving at work from my housemate explained the immobilizer was on a thirty minute timeout and should function by the evening, which it did. I drove a van home as I'm working away tomorrow - I won't know till Wednesday if the alternator on my car is working – I’m thinking it won’t start. I left it in the same spot as where my last car got burnt alive so may be I'll never find out. Either way, it essentially means nothing, it's all a walk in the park.
I can't say that anger, frustration or impatience got the better of me at any point today. There was a fair amount of embarrassment, guilt and aggravation at the situation, but I was able to diffuse this as soon as it rose to the surface. This came through a knowledge that my perception of myself and the things that happen to me is derived from conditioned, pre-conceived and determined factors. On one level I am a human being with feelings and emotions living in a society that dictates I must have a job and transport to get there, the combination of which this morning could have lead to a great deal of negativity. On an another level I am not even flesh and bone, or cells or electrical impulses; not even elements, electrons, protons or neutrons - I am just a coincidence through various sums of these parts and affected by everything that I have absorbed as I have developed. Yet, before running into the vast emptiness of non belief in the self and therefore anything - there is a me. There is this life and being, my mind and heart; it is all I may ever know and is therefore very real. However, through the knowledge that this self only exists in the basis of our inherent understanding and perceptions, I am freed in my reactions to the things that happen in daily life - gaining independence from the pre-conditioned expectations of a modern life with it’s frustrations.
With the knowledge that we only inherit reality through perception and understanding; it can be seen to be just as natural, but considerably more worthwhile for everyone and everything, to react positively to negative situations. By remaining calm, well mannered, passive, patient and humble in difficult situations is undoubtedly beneficial, to yourself, the situation and the other beings involved. The only skill involved in this is the continued mental effort it takes, you must become a constant reminder to yourself of the true nature of your reality and remember the inherent, percieved and developed sense of a 'I' is just that and therfore subject to change . If everything we know and are, only appears as a reality it would be ridiculous to meet it with any negativity at all, it's just life, it is whatever we make it, for me it’s a walk in the park.
posted by Marcus Woodrow at 00:00
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