Every other Thursday I pay bills. Every month, when I pay the mortgage I congratulate myself for making it through another month. More often then not I say to myself (and to anyone who happens to be near me at the time), "I really feel like someone should throw confetti when I pay the mortgage." I actually mean it. Well, the other day my daughter did just that! She came home with a plastic gun that shot out confetti! Tonight, while I was sweeping up the confetti I was reminded of something my teacher said many years ago.
Let me set the scene for this story. I rushed home from work to make dinner for my family and help with homework. I gather myself up and drive an hour to visit my teacher at his house. I had been daydreaming about spending time talking about Yoga with Ed. In those days my life was filled with work and kids and household chores so the thought of spending a couple of hours immersed in Yoga was heaven.
Anyway, when I get there he's watching a basketball game. I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed. I wanted to learn about Yoga and Life. Basketball was a constant in my house in those days. My daughter played for school, all the neighborhood kids played on our net outside, it was always on TV or constantly being talked about. I just wanted to talk to an adult about Yoga and Life!
At one point, he says "you know, Basketball is very much like life." I wasn't convinced but I was listening. He continued, "If you miss a shot and you sit under the basket crying about it the game is still going on at the other end of the court without you and if you make the shot and stand under the basket patting yourself on the back, you're missing the game that's going on at the other end of the court without you."
Turns out basketball, like paying bills, is a lesson in working without attachment to the fruits of your labor. We work hard for the sake of working hard and offer it all up in service to God. Life, like basketball moves so fast. Don't waste too much time worrying about the failures or boasting about your accomplishments. The point of life is to stay in the game. Keep working, keep moving and for the love of God enjoy it.
The other life lesson I learned that night is that when we keep our minds and hearts open the world becomes our classroom and every moment of this crazy life is an opportunity to learn something. Who knew a basketball game was teaching me one of the principle lessons of the Bhagavad Gita?
"You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction. Perform work in this world, Arjuna, as a man established within himself - without selfish attachments, and alike in success and defeat.”
I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy the accomplishments. I'm just saying don't spend too much time patting yourself on the back. Throw the confetti if that will make you happy. Just remember that tomorrow you'll have to clean it up and then get back to work so you can pay the mortgage next month and the game continues.
