A thought occurred to me today while practicing T'ai Chi. One of the first temple exercises is called "Prayer Wheel". In theory, every time a prayer wheel is executed, what ever prayer you are concentrating on is transmitted to heaven. I find this idea of circular motion to assist a prayer reaching heaven quite interesting. Perhaps, the idea is that all things in life are circular. We get up in the morning, we go to work, we come home, we go to bed and then we get up and do it all over again. It seems like one big circle. Sure, there are jagged edges. Some days we have pastrami on rye while others we may have tuna on whole wheat, but the basis is the same. Take a step back and the weeks are pretty much the same. Each week, we go to work for (probably) 5 days and then have a two day weekend in which we attempt to accomplish everything we didn't get done during the week. Take another step back and the weeks turn into months. Take another step back and the months turn into years. Take one more step back and the years turn into lifetimes. (I'm sure there are a lot of people who would argue about that. After all, life appears to be pretty straight-line. We are born, we live, we die; end of line. However, maybe we're just on a circle so big that the curve is imperceptible from our vantage point.)

Each life is pretty much like the next. Sure, sometimes we might learn a little more and sometimes we might learn a little less, but they're all pretty much the same. We strive towards our little goals; more money, better living conditions, etc., etc., etc. I wonder what it's all about. Is there some goal? Is it actually a spiral toward something or is it really just a planar circle going round and round forever? Personally, I hope it's the spiral. I'd like to believe that living really is worthwhile and that eventually, we will have learned enough to move on to something else. Hmm. I wonder if that's circular, too. After we've moved on and become more "creator"-like, do we then travel in circles there, too? And, if by chance, we are able to become master creators ourselves, don't we then start over again by putting pieces of ourselves into that which we create?

Here's to the circle: The most perfect of all geometric shapes. :-)

So, what's a person to do? I'm not sure. I'm still stuck in my daily groove. It's kind of like being the needle on a record. The closer we get to the center, the less distance we have to travel to complete the circle. I hope I have a few songs left, anyway but the spindle is definitely closer than it used to be. I'd like to be able to pick up the needle and move back a few songs and try them again, this time with a little more feeling, but since I don't know how to do that, I'll settle for striving to make the most of each revolution. I just hope I can live up to my own beliefs.

And now, a few personalized notes:

TL: You're as nutty as they come but I'm really glad you and your hubby came over tonight. It's almost always fun and the only time it isn't fun is when I can't get past my own hang-ups.

DL (or was that Gybing?): I'm glad things are going better for you. I hope the job shift will be more fun than problematic. I also hope to see you on Runescape some time soon. I promise, I'll try and make time for it.

Qet: Know that you figure more highly in my thoughts now than at any other time I have known you in this life. I will do what I can to respect your needs and your wishes and support you in whatever decision you make or whatever solution you find.

To all of you, I love you dearly and I have a continued hope for your health and well-being.