Take a Step Back

There come times in your life that things really get in what seems a bad rut. Bad turns to worse, at least as it seems, and you're left to wonder just what evil you must have conjured to deserve such rotten luck.

I tend to think life is much less karma than it is cyclical. Forget all that "one good deed deserves another" bunk. Things tend to happen independently. Can a person's energy affect things? Well, yeah, OK, inasmuch as your proactivity can affect certain events. But so much of the negative in our lives tends to really be outside our personal influence. Rather, we become the ancillary effects of other actions or inactions. To quote the bumpersticker crowd, "Shit Happens."

Back to the whole cyclical idea for a minute. I had a high school math teacher who was into biorythyms. Give her your birthday and she could plot out a chart that would show three (I think) different waves to represent three elements of life: physical, mental, spiritual. These may or may not have been the actual elements measured, but that's really not important to this discussion. It is simply that the three elements measured operate like the rest of the natural world -- on a cycle. Women have a manifested cycle every month known as the period. Men, actually do, too, but it doesn't present itself as evidently. Our bodies do act cyclically. For me, it's always been most noticeable in my complexion. It cycles from a dry to oily composition on a regular basis, regardless of my cleaning regimen. So if the physical body has a cycle, it's possible that the mental and spiritual body have a cycle. And since they're all independent, they all peak and valley at different times.

Those who believe in them would say biorythyms will show you when you're apt to be at your best ... when two or more cycles peak at same time. The reverse is also suggested. Imagine all elements hitting the low at same time.

I tend to believe some of this. Sure, the cycles don't damn you to bad happening. But they probably make it a little harder in a very subtle way. I suggest it also makes the highs seem higher at times ... those rare moments in your life when everything seems to be going so right or coming so easily. It's the sports equivalent (or perhaps biophysical explanation for) being in the zone. But I think it's less about the karma than just being at your best for the things you can affect. The good, or bad, things that happen to you and that you attribute to your biorythyms are likely results of your action or inaction. Again, though, that's the stuff you affect. Plenty more comes your way that you didn't plan for.

All that said, I return to the subject of life getting someone down. When those times happen, and they practically happen to everyone who will admit it, you gotta get out of the rut. Work against the cycles? Sure. Put on that happy face, work a little harder, fight the urge to scream out loud about everyone who makes you freakin crazy.

But aside from that, we all need perspective. Stop. Back up. Try to assess everything freshly and ask yourself if it's really as bad as you're bitching and moaning about. Usually, it's not that bad. Find those bright spots, or in some cases, those not-as-dark spots.

Blee-org.