Being Adult

That's what we're all about, right?? Maturation, accepting adult responsibility,taking care of business...how many of us are in the business, in some form of helping ourselves,our children,our spouses and others we meet to step up to the plate, to make the most of ourselves...sounds good, right?? Well, there are times when I really don't want to do any of that, where I resent having to be an adult, I resent the unending burdens, obligations and responsibilities that life brings...I complain "when can I go to the beach?" I do have to admit that I gave up complaining for Lent, which was an amazing experience of clearing out jammed up stuff. But just to be clear, it will be a long time before I am nominated for sainthood.
It is in this spirit of juggling,which most of us are mastering as the art of getting through the day, that I feel moved to share the following story which appeared one day on my Day-at-a-Time Little Zen Calendar. It is not attributed to any one in particular, and is simply called Zen Story. If I were a truly responsible adult, I would know exactly which day it was, but all I know is that it appeared some time in April 2011.I'm sharing it because I laughed right out loud when I read it, appreciating the deep humanity in it for all of us.I thought it was particularly poignant because of the Lenten season, Easter and Passover, which are almost completely behind us, and which require both a LOT of deep (physical,emotionaland spiritual) housecleaning, and which call us to rise up out of our deadening old ruts, to be freed from the small, tight places that cramp and enslave us.
"A man seeking help went to see the Buddha. He told him he was a farmer. "I like farming," the man said, "but sometimes it doesn't rain enough, and sometimes it rains too much. One year we nearly starved." The Buddha listened.
"I like my wife," the man said, "but sometimes she nags too much, then I get tired of her...We have kids too. Good kids, but sometimes they don't show enough respect, and..." the man went on like this.
After the man finished, the Buddha sat, thought, then said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."
"What? Why not?" said the man, astonished. The Buddha went on to explain that everyone has problems. In fact, he said, we all have eighty-three problems, and he enumerated them, from birth to death, but as he talked the man grew more and more furious until he questioned the very premise of the Buddha's teaching.
"Well," the Buddha finally said, "I may be able to help you with the eighty-fourth problem."
"The eighty-fourth problem? What's that?"
"The problem of wanting to not have any problems."

Personally, I am beginning to think that certain kinds of problems are around to plague us just for the entertainment value,to prevent boredom and allow intellectual stimulation. The responsible ones say our problems are growing edges, so we can rise above our limitations and be more fully ourselves...but we know about those responsible ones, don't we...and where's the beach? Rev.Susan