Friday, January 22, 2021

Kari Grimes

Faith

The other day I was in yoga class. The class is long and hot and the instructor talks the entire time, telling you what to do, how to begin the pose, how to move, even how to get out of the posture. There was a woman who was new to the class and having a hard time synching with the practice. I watched her become more and more frustrated, agitated, disgruntled. By the end, she had just about given up. At first I was a little distracted, then began getting frustrated myself. I thought: if only she could stop, listen, and take the suggestions offered to her by the instructor she would be able to enjoy the class and perform much better. I then stopped myself short. I realized that her struggle I was watching was a mirror image of myself in so many situations, in so many times in my life. How many instances I had let my agitation, discomfort, and frustration get the better of me? How many times did I get myself in a pickle or worse, all really because I could not stop and listen and accept?

I used to live in the Sahara Desert. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the country of Mauritania, located north of Senegal in West Africa. In the latter part of my service, I was stationed in the small village of Madoub for a few months to pave the way for a future volunteer who was to take over once my two year contract was over. I had a small mud one room hut at my disposal, complete with thatch roof and sand for the floor. One night, I noticed a bat had entered my house and was flying above me. I was freaked out. I tried to shoo the bat out but it was flying up near the ceiling, too high for me to reach. I threw things at it. Nothing worked. It kept flying and flying and flying above me. I did not sleep a wink that night.

This incident re-occurred, around the same time each and every night. Each and every night I would try new tactics to get the bat out of my house to no avail. I waved sheets and towels at it. I tried shining my flashlight at it, hoping to scare it out. I threw water at it. I put on my little broadband radio until I had run my batteries dry. After a week and a half of very sleepless nights, I was tired, frustrated, and thought I was going insane. Perhaps I was! Itś no use, I thought. What am I to do? I had a few weeks left and I really thought I would not be able to make it. I was so angry, alone, and defeated. I laid there on my straw mat and looked up into the darkness of the bat show. I thought and thought and thought. I realized that the little bat was becoming larger than life. Then it occurred to me that it had never hurt me, always stayed up high, and was probably just eating insects from the roof. I listened to it that night and was able to study itś habits and movements. It became interesting. I thought to myself I should just embrace this bat into my house as I had no control over it, no power to have it do what I wanted (to leave!). Once I accepted this little bat for what it was, I was able to close my eyes and sleep! I slept that night better than I had in a long long time. Every night until I left, I would hear the little bat come into my house, I would say a little greeting to it, then drift into a pleasant and restful night.

As I contemplated the lady in yoga class as a reflection of how I used to and still can act in life, I am reminded of how much beauty, peace, and calmness can enter into my hard headed brain if I can stop, listen, and surrender a bit. As with my little bat, I could see the bat as a threat which caused me torment; or after a small pause and a change of attitude, I could see the little bat as my night time companion who kept the bugs at bay. Anne Williamsonś reference to the Serenity Prayer last week was a good reminder of how to take on this world we live in with ears, eyes and a heart that hear a little better, see things a little brighter, and love a little larger .

Have a wonderful day everyone! My relative from South Dakota who turned 100 years old last month sent me a Christmas card this year and ended with this: Stay safe. Hope is greater than fear. Love is best of all.

Prayers always,

Kari L. Grimes

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

forever in the next.

Amen.

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)