Last year, I planted the same number of seeds in my garden. There were few variations in procedure, seed stock, soil, similar weather, and rain fall, from last year.  On September first last year, I had more tomatoes than I knew what to do with, a small crop of peppers, and no cucumbers and squash.  Today we are drowning in cucumbers and peppers, with a moderate tomato crop, and solid yield from the zucchini and squash.  Why? I shifted things around and did more composting, but the yields are extremely different from year to year.  No matter what I do, I’m not in control. It’s more like I’m holding on for dear life and can only do the necessary activities during the growing season. 

I’m a lover of playing tennis.  I have a solid game from years of playing and practicing.  My knowledge of strategy is deep from a lifetime of teaching and observing.  My fitness level is good, my equipment is well maintained, and I’m normally ready to play when I get on the court.  My serve has been clocked in the “130’s” and my variety of spins makes returning my serve difficult.  And it does not matter. One day, everything works - the next day, nothing!  The technique doesn’t change, the balls are the same, my rackets are the same, so why can’t I play “in the zone” every time I’m on the court?  The fact is that I’m not in control of winning or losing, something else is and I have no idea what it is!

The radical idea of knowing that you are not in control doesn’t free you from effort of responsibility.  The opposite is true, you must be present to be able to access the miracle of “The Flow” or being “In the Zone.”  This means that your best wins come from days you play your worst.  The events you congratulate yourself for, are just days where things work out.  It is the mere fact that the victory happened that can give you the opportunity to see the true nature of the universe.  Adversely, a loss is another way to look into the heart of reality.  An individual must be able to access “the way” and not the result to be able to be one with all things.

We are in control too.  We are responsible for the way we live our lives.  The universe gives no clues to right or wrong, up or down, winning or losing.  Somehow, we grow.  With growth comes change, and with that change comes choice.  Treat your body like a temple or not, it can’t save you if your destiny is to get sick or die fighting for a cause.  Build your mind or not?  Unfortunately, wisdom isn’t a place and the path there is different for everyone.  Wealth is power!  Are there important things in life not available by purchase or to be taken by force?  The universe is both quiet and deafening, chaotic and orderly, real and unbelievable.

We can utilize the forces of the universe to heat our homes, power our cars, and give our technology life.   It is only through cosmic bombardment that life on Earth is possible.  That same force could end life in our solar system.  Our galaxy will collide with another galaxy someday.   Our day to day control is but a momentary blip in the universe and has little long-term consequences, and in the end, we must return to cosmic nothingness.  We have no control, but what we do have is will.  It is the things we decide and the actions that we take that wills us into existence.  We might not win, but we might not lose either.  Today I won, and it feels great.  Now on to the cucumbers!