Strong coffee is my weakness, as my father used to say. Once in a while I get tired of my automatic coffeemaker’s version (never quite strong enough) and pull out the heavy artillery: the French press. Then after a few months I get tired of the cleaning and the grinding and the plunging and the fact that I have to leave the last sip in the cup because it’s always full of grounds and slink back to good ol’ Mr. Coffee.
The interesting thing about all this is that the first time I went through this cycle and went back to the automatic coffemaker, it took months before I realized I was still leaving the last sip sitting in the cup, even though it was blissfully free of grounds! Besides being a tragic waste of coffee, it made it very clear how good my mind is at automatic pilot. If I could go months missing out on strong coffee without choosing to, what else was I missing?
Indeed, “business as usual” seems to be my conscious mind’s mantra, as if any moment was usual. It seems to enjoy believing that nothing ever changes or even should change. So what if every moment is a brand new ballgame? Who cares if every moment is potentially life and/or world changing? To my mind, they’re all alike. You’ve seen one moment, you’ve seen them all. Same schmootz; different moment. You get the idea (hopefully).
Business as usual is so diametrically opposed to the truth I hold in my heart that it’s almost funny. My heart (as well as my spleen, my big toe, my uvula…every cell, tissue and organ in my being except for my brain) knows that in every moment, the real truth is “is-ness as usual.” No matter where I am or what is going on, regardless of the appearance of things or my perception of them, God IS, which for me means that love is, compassion is, harmony is, peace is, wholeness is, oneness is, joy is, abundance is. These things simply are. They have a life and a reality in and of themselves. Schmootz, on the other hand, requires my consent, my cooperation, my perceptions.
This is-ness is always present and active, and it’s all good. Because of this is-ness, every moment contains unlimited possibilities for good. Every moment is extraordinary and unique and each one represents an opportunity to tap into the is-ness and mold it and shape it in order to create our lives according to our highest values and desires. How exciting! Perhaps that’s why we are naturally enthusiastic, passionate, curious and creative beings who crave awe and wonder and beauty in our lives. Those things, sadly, tend to get lost in business as usual.
“Is-ness as usual” is a beautiful reminder to stay centered in the present moment so I can be aware of the unlimited possibilities therein and to be aware that life-changing moments usually arrive unannounced. It’s a beautiful reminder that life isn’t a problem to be solved but an is-ness to be experienced and expressed. It’s a beautiful reminder that this is-ness can become my default location as it becomes more “usual” in my consciousness.
We often hear the phrase “it is what it is” and perhaps even use it to describe resignation (“oh well”). Now when I hear it I’ll say, “Yahoo!” Indeed, it is what it is, and in each moment, what it is is love! Allness! Spirit! AND I AM THAT!
Business as usual also refers to “the normal conduct of business especially in difficult events which pose a potential negative impact” (=schmootz!). When the schmootz hits the fan heavily, business as usual is about the best I can do, and that’s OK. At the same time, I can remember the is-ness that is still present, that healing is always possible because of that is-ness, that everyone involved in the situation, including me, has all the strength, love and wisdom of that is-ness within them. In doing so, I can remain open to creative ideas and opportunities as they arise, I can remain an inlet and outlet of all there is in God, and I become a source of peace and love within the schmootz.
Is-ness is usual because it is what I am. And the more I embrace it, affirm it, feed it, acknowledge and appreciate it, the more beautiful and rich my life becomes.
And if that’s all I remember, that’s more than enough for now.
