In the zone.

Ged was incredible this morning. Normally tired after I throw him 10 balls across, now covered with grass, ice-ring, he did 34 runs today. First twenty, and after a short break, another fourteen. Unlike some other dog owners, I don't give him a treat after he brings the ball back. His only natural reward is the opportunity to run fast and having some fun with his master. He was so engaged in the play that he appeared oblivious to what was happening around him. He also seemed to ignore his own tiredness. One could say that Ged was "in the zone."

Hiking Sulphur Skyline in Oct 2018.

Being "in the zone," or experiencing so called "flow," is also believed to be good for humans. At least, this is what some research, inspired by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, suggests. I sometimes get the flow when reading an interesting book, or when playing bridge, or working on some household projects. It happens to me when I hike in the mountains or when I make love. Flow is also good, people claim, when you write ... a blog. 

But flow, I would argue, could also be fathomed in a more general sense. We wake up in the morning, and right after opening our eyes, we enter, what Nisargadatta could refer to as, the "movie of life." We become like those actors so identified with the characters they play that they, at least for a while, become these characters. We seem to lose the ability to see our lives in perspective.

My life seems to be throwing me a lot of balls to keep me “in the zone.” Lady Wife has always got something for me to do. Some of the balls seem to be natural consequences of my previous decisions – problems with the house, or cars, or the offsprings. But I seem to throw most of the balls by myself, to keep my mind busy with something, to “keep it in the zone.”

One of my recent balls is this AGE – Age Group Explorations Project. Two days ago I sent information about it to over 40 agencies offering services to seniors. Only one agency replied that they would post my information. It looked that another centre, closest to where I live, made an extra effort NOT to inform their seniors about this opportunity. They say they “cannot support this project AT THIS TIME.” I am not quite sure how to interpret this.

Well, I threw a few balls for myself in life that didn’t fly. After my mother died of cancer in 1998, for a couple of years, I wanted to offer psychological help to people with cancer. I invested a lot of effort in studying the field and in informing the public that I am available. It didn’t work. Eventually I concluded it was not meant to be and I let go. Perhaps this will also happen to AGE. Perhaps I should hang out with young people rather than the old?

And what about you? What are the balls you throw for yourself? Can you still discern between the thrower and the thrown?

In Truth, Simplicity and Love. PR.