The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
I don’t usually review fiction books but this one is different. First of all, it is the follow-up to The DaVinci Code, a book that millions of people loved including me. Second, it is set in Washington D.C. and brings in a lot of American history in this historic place. And third, it revolves around the science and research into the mind and how the discovery of the connection between thought and action is so powerful. All three aspects of the book not only appealed to me, but captivated me. I read the book in a week because I had a hard time leaving it alone.
Should you read it?
If you love a good story with really interesting characters and a lot of twists - this book has these in spades. If you are interested in how we use our thoughts to create, and the power such a connection could hold, Dan Brown has done a good job of weaving it through this story. When you finish the book, you will have had quite an exciting journey and learned some things along the way. That are always the qualities of a book worth reading and this one is.
I am currently reading quite a few books and will be sharing them shortly. Let me know if you have one to suggest I consider. Books are like flowers, they just keep appearing everyday and keeping up with them is not easy but well worth it, just like the flowers.
Nothing is Permanent
Last week while working with the University of Utah volleyball team in Las Vegas, I was involved in a traffic accident. In forty years of driving this was my first accident that I had caused. It was an interesting experience, not because it was new or surprising (it was that) but because of how I felt about it and especially as I think about it now.
First, it was an experience in the Zone, something I regularly talk about with athletes and performers. Within that few seconds I responded to what was happening with efficiency and clarity. For example, had I not turned the car away from the car coming at me, I could have been killed. Instead, the other driver hit me just behind the driver’s side of the car, sparing me from the direct force of the collision. Additionally, when I came to a stop up on the sidewalk, I found myself within two feet of a large utility pole which had I hit it directly could have killed me as well. Climbing out the other side of the car with only a bump on my head where I hit the side window, I felt relieved and fortunate. My wonderful car however, was totaled.
The second distinctive part of the experience was what happened next and later. As I moved through the process with the police, the insurance company (State Farm was fabulous and took care of it all so nicely), and the towing etc., I had a couple of hours to stand on a corner that appeared only to be frequented by the homeless. A couple blocks east of the Las Vegas strip, it was not a place I would have ever been spending time. All I could do was wait, answer questions, make phone calls, but mostly stand and look at my poor Maxine Maxima. After ten years together, I didn’t expect, plan or even consider that this is how it would end. It was more sad that anything and I grieved for the loss of Maxine. (You do have a name for your car,don’t you?)
Then and now I was reminded of the impermanence of everything. Yes, this was a car, but our relationships, our work, our environments; none of it is permanent. When we get attached to the permanence of it (an illusion), it is easy to live in fear of losing it, which inevitably we will. When we remember that nothing is permanent and fully accept that, we are free to enjoy, love, and appreciate it for however long it is in our experience. That is how I felt about Maxine and now I feel a small sense of loss but mostly just appreciation and gratitude.
I no longer have a car and I am totally OK with that. I have no plans to purchase one anytime soon because I can walk, ride my bike, or borrow a vehicle to get anywhere I need to go. Of course, I realize by working from my home that it is much easier for me. I feel a sense of calm and presence with where I am and have not even considered the “what if” of it or a “should” in any form. I haven’t been without a car since I was in college and it feels like that is where I am supposed to be.
This experience has been a confirmation at so many levels of being in the present, being grateful, trusting what happens and will happen, how our thoughts determine our experiences, and especially how little (if any) control we have over anything. This accident was not to teach me that but to remind me of that.
Next time you worry, fret or fear the loss of anything, remember that nothing is permanent and whatever happens is an opportunity for you to be present, be grateful, and join the flow. When we let go of attachment, we find freedom - it is that simple.