Halloween. Night fell. A knock fell on my door. I opened it.
In the glow of the porch light stood the Dalai Lama.
Namaste. Would you like a Snickers?
I’d love one.
[And now the story continues…]
He turned to leave.
(Hey, dude! It’s the Dalai Lama. When will you ever have another chance to sit at his feet and sip from his wisdom?)
Wait, wait, don’t go! I cried. Would you like to come in for some tea?
I’d love to. Do you mind if two friends of mine join us?
Not at all. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, always welcome in my house.
(Of course it didn’t matter to me who his friends were. Besides, this being the eve of All Hallows’ Day, I surmised his friends could be Jesus and the Buddha, or Saint Francis and Saint Terese of Avila, or maybe Bono and Madonna.)
The Dalai Lama whistled softly, held the door open, and in walked Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Walked right into my house! THEY were in MY HOUSE!
(Turns out it did matter who his friends were!)
The Dalai Lama sat down on the floor, crossed his legs, folded his arms, and ginned up that sanctimonious smile of his.
(Suddenly, I did not like him.)
He smiled at me, then Sinema, then Manchin. And back again to me.
He spoke.
The line of good and evil runs within nations and within people; not between them.
More smiling. And then this:
Every day, think: Today I am fortunate to be alive. I have a precious human life. I will not waste it. I will have kind thoughts toward others. I will not get angry or think badly about others. Love is the absence of judgment.
A knock fell on the door.
(Thank God!!!)
I sprang to my feet, dashed to the door, and opened it.
In the glow of the porch light stood Joe Biden and Pope Francis, each holding a whip.
Would you like a Snickers? I asked.
No, we’re not here for treats.
They marched in, closed the door, and turned off the porch light.
(It’s true: Love is all you need. And it’s also true: Love never ends. But apparently patience does.)
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See Paula’s new photo (“Humbolt Redwoods”) on the home page. Posted October 31.
Good one, maybe great one even. Made me laugh out loud. How do you even think of these threads? You make my Sunday mornings.
Am I a fool, at this late date
to heed a voice that says, you can be great.
I heard it young, now I hear it again.
It says, you can be better than you’ve ever been. – Morningside by John Gorka
He must have been reading the words of the Dalai Lama
Mother Teresa said, “Justice without love is not justice. Love without justice is not love.” Add the element of patience and we see its limits with a prophetic Jesus in the temple with a whip, not unlike the one in your wonderful story.
You’re NOT going to leave us hanging. Are you?
Thank you Randy! Imagining your group of friends together was all the treat my morning needed (not too sweet, but sweet enough 🙂 ).
Always a nudge towards thinking, pondering; often a twist; I’m sitting with this one… thank you Randy💓
See you next Saturday 🙏🏼
Brilliant! Thanks for the Sunday morning belly laugh, Randy!
As you probably know by now, you should’ve never allowed the Dalai Lama inside your house. You have all people, Doc, know that wisdom doesn’t flow from just one source, especially if it involves sitting at the fountain’s feet and being a supplicant. Then you compounded your problems, as we mere mortals tend to do almost by default, by permitting Joe Biden and Pope Francis to enter while carrying whips. Obviously, the flagellants had arrived. The best that could follow would be a spectacle that would definitely draw a crowd if it occurred in a town square. In the end, no sins were washed away even while the blood flowed. Now its time to push the reset button while chanting the immortal words of Firesign Theater, “Don’t crush that dwarf, and please pass the pliers!”
Yes, I hear you on the patience part ! Such a fun and perceptive read ~ thanks for the laughter. Namaste.
Randy, leave it to you to turn a sense of peaceful (& humorous!) “OM…” on its ear! First, I surmise that Manchin and Sinema received coal in their Treat bags. But that’s temporary. What’s not so temporary is the way folks can dig in and stay planted when they don’t get their way. When their knowledge is inadequate to a task at hand, when they forget that service is not really about them. Do you think late night gatherings such as yours will advance the collective consciousness when snickers are passed around? I understand that “a spoonful of sugar…” There is always more to be shared on this topic. Looking forward to the next one, “Halloween 3.”