The Life Divine, a tome packed full of gems sparkling in the realms of yoga, the Vedas, the Gita, and layers of Indian thought

Cheri Block Sabraw - Notes from Around the Block EDUCATIONAL COMMENTARY AND INSIGHTS FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND TEACHERS Tuesday, July 15, 2008

It Is as It Is
Several summers ago, my husband Ron took a course on one book written by Indian writer and philosopher Sri Aurobindo entitled The Life Divine, a tome packed full of gems sparkling in the realms of yoga, the Vedas, the Gita, and layers of Indian thought.

After this massive delving into Indian spirituality at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ron boarded the plane and came home. I picked him up at the airport and we waited for his luggage. The luggage didn’t come.

The old Ron would have begun a pointed discourse on what is wrong with the airline industry and how he would solve the problem of baggage handling incompetence.

Instead of subjecting me to his diatribe of pressured speech, he simply stated, “Cheri, it is as it is.”

Since that time, whenever I am railing against the frustrations of modern society and all of its warts, Ron always says, “It is as it is.”

While such a statement is inherently true, it can be highly annoying to hear.

The seat I have reserved for the opera is behind someone with big hair. (It is as it is.)

The red bell pepper I need for my recipe has bugs in it. (It is as it is.)

The Labrador Retriever puppy that I chose is allergic to everything on our property. (It is as it is.)

OK. I GET IT!!!

So, when is this transcendent statement irrelevant? (With due respect to Mr. Aurobindo)

A trip to the local Raley’s Supermarket might serve as an illustration.

I enter the supermarket and promptly slip on water by the Floral Department (It is as it is.) Luckily, Wanda, a Raley’s employee, helps me up. Reaching into my purse, I snag my newly manicured thumbnail on my wallet’s zipper and pull my nail off. Ouch!! (It is as it is.) I then take out my grocery list. My cholesterol is high, so although (It is as it is), it doesn’t have to be, so I shall buy rice cakes, carrots, and sugarless, flavorless, fat-free ice cream. I run into my nephew Cornelius in the wine aisle and catch him stealthily sneaking to the check stand with a bottle of Zinfandel. One problem: he is only 14. (It is as it is) but it doesn’t have to be, so I call his father on my cell phone. My brother says that I need to mind my own business. (It is as it is.)

There you have it. What we can’t control, we need to accept. If what we can control needs changing, we should make an effort. Posted by Cheri Block Sabraw at 3:04 PM Labels: Virtues Cheri Block Sabraw has been teaching for 36 years... You can contact her at DirectorSabraw@MillCreekAcademy.com