Turbulence

With the weather being overcast, with rain and wind and just spots of sky here and there, and TSA pulling me aside for a surprise free deep tissue massage at the gate, there was some turbulence in departure for San Francisco. I didn't miss my flight this time. That was good. However, we did get delayed. 

I read The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi on the way there. He would argue there is no difference between smooth and bumpy rides, that smooth and bumpy are only thoughts arising in my own mind, and that I should not waste time dwelling on distinctions. He's on to something, I think. 

My mind's not been calm for weeks. I took a nap yesterday, slept briefly but deeply, dreaming frantically and hard. I took a nap on this plane, slept briefly but deeply again. I brought a memory of one of those dreams back with me to the world as I snapped out of sleep, but lost it in the seconds between waking and telling the flight attendant attending our aisle on courtesty drink distribution duty I wanted a Sprite®.

Trying to pull back dreams from sleep is like trying to extract yourself from mud you've stepped in. You may walk away with your foot and perhaps a sock, but the morass will claim your boot.