Peace 4 Pop

Dear Pop, You're going to laugh, maybe not, but just as I opened my computer and began to write about the concept of peace; sitting surrounded by old growth pines on the veranda of the Rabbit Foot Trail Inn located in the township of Pine Flat on the western slope of the Sierras, the proprietress came ambling up the tired wooden staircase with a gray cat following closely; my soggy sandwich was lying open - exposed to the bugs and the cat. In the span of 15 minutes, I learned that she had cancer, that her father was a stone mason (she clued me on how to hand carve stone spheres using cones) and her husband suffers from a severe heart condition. Once she understood the reason I'd come this direction was to evaluate a laundromat in Strathmore, CA and had only been diverted from my journey by the local Hot Springs, she suggested I open a laundromat in Pine Flats; she then wandered off to give this idea more thought, the cat following - not closely enough, apparently wanting to make sure there were no morsels from the sandwich that might fall her way, but leaving simultaneously as the too close neighbor dog hit its barking stride - barking that was to continue for the next 2 hours…. Are you laughing yet? Well how about this - the nice lady reading this to you is my mother, and your ex-wife - Martha…

I knew I was going to take a whack at writing about peace, even before I spontaneously banged a right at the sign pointing to California Hot Springs at the southeastern corner of the Central Valley. I had started another essay ahead of this and generally don't work multiple projects based on an admonition from you about finishing what I set out to do. But I find with writing that each piece requires time to sit - a time where the rough ideas can germinate and shoot out growth as though the language follows its own patterns and pace from the initial seeding. I have learned that writing for me is very similar to the many conversations we have had over the course of my lifetime; I am becoming able to chew on ideas clamoring for discussion - hone them like the edge of a blade. Yet I find peace with even the most contentious ideas when I employ the logic you have shown me over time. For example, while this woman was pitching the laundromat, I had to ask myself why it was so important to her. Not because I am overly suspicious, but for the simple reason I am a stranger to her, so why would she be trying to help me? I digress - the next afternoon, 20 hours later… I've just returned from visiting the business in Strathmore, CA. This is one of a number of properties I have made inquiries about. And though this laundromat will satisfy someone's investment portfolio, It won't be mine. While my evaluating laundromats in the Great California Central Valley may not necessarily give you great peace - it does wonders for me. I am doing what you trained me to do - explore, ask questions and make decisions. I can't begin to tell you how comforting that inclination, and skill is to me, but I'll try.

Given all of the changes that you face, and the remarkable limitations in my capacity to participate constructively in that adventure, creates for me tremendous determination to prepare for my own future as well as you have prepared for yours. I know from those important moments which we have shared, that you continue to search for meaning in your world and to share your discoveries with others. I can't know precisely what your world looks like, what I do know is that I am providing you a "5 paragraph essay" on what I am pursuing. Peace is what I work toward; peace that is without concession. This does not mean I make no concessions, but that my objective remains intact as I press on "down the road." Nor is my objective rooted in any obstinate ambition that does not acknowledge the realities of my existence; rather, Pop, I chase that prey which nourishes my feeling of well-being irrespective of how the world reacts to my diet. Let me clarify; I know that stone carving is a decent activity, which I am fairly good at; I know that I am getting old and loosing strength, so I adapt and expand to those areas of creativity that will accommodate my changing abilities - much like I have watched you adjust your life over these past number of years, nicely done. I can't say what others are doing, but I am paying attention.

What I am finding is peace - a peace which people sometimes drag themselves away from kicking and screaming… kidding pop. I do find your notions of not "getting in concrete" have wonderful correlations in buddhist and other eastern philosophies dealing with notions of peace. I just watched a show about the Universe and contending ideas about what makes it up - whether there is a 4th dimension of time, or if in fact there is a single dimension which more clearly accounts for the behavior of gravity; Morgan Freeman - the black actor that was with Jack Nicholson in the movie "The Bucket List" was the narrator. The point of all this is that science is chasing philosophy, and philosophy continues to return to that element of thinking which sets the individual free - non-attachment - "not getting in concrete." For myself, who can confuse obstinacy with determination like others confuse love for hate, it is comforting to find good examples set by people such as yourself. I am better able to separate myself from activities and patterns of thinking which do not contribute to what I have learned about peace - for me, creativity is essential, but there is a secondary pursuit which has come to fore. Over the years I've watched you resort to joy as a choice of expressions. While carving is rich with the sublime, if you're looking for exuberant joy: carving stone is a little like watching paint dry. Me, I like to sweat - get my heart rate up, anything that yields the nifty byproduct of joy - this may account for the genuine pleasure I take in hard work and good sex.

And as with all good things these proclivities fly in the face of non-attachment and consequential peace. So how does one locate that point when pursuing peace beyond which there is no joy - when feasting on chocolate becomes an ache rather than itch, or where running just numbs rather than awakens? For me, that point of abiding is found in the act of giving; just as mom might feel peace in reading this to you, my fantasy is that she might feel this way because she is giving something important to us - I have taken great joy in spending time creating concepts which might resonate with your keen intellect. If my words reach you, even as a rhythm, they do so because I had the good fortune to have parents who pursue meaning in this world at a deep level. And while the Tao does say keep your desires simple and your disappointments will follow suit, this insight also reminds one that peace is within our grasp, we are the agents of our destinies - and if our ambition is to be at peace, then just like the contending concepts of whether we live in one dimension or a gazillion dimensions in no way affects our respective realities, neither can anyone ever have dominion over our peace. You sir are too cool for school, and I hope this was as much fun for you to hear as it was peaceful for me to write…

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