MEDITATION: Thanks to a Little Light

I was driving home this morning when I noticed the “check engine” light glowing on my dashboard, and immediately started to fret. “Oh god, what could it be?”, I thought. “This old car is probably falling apart. It will probably cost me a fortune to fix it.” However, before I had gone too far down this nightmare road of worrying, I suddenly remembered an old truth that I love to ponder: Every present moment is perfect – exactly what it must be. This small light shining beside my steering wheel was doing exactly what it should do at that particular moment. It was the perfect thing for the light to do, and therefore that moment, right then and there as I drove past an elementary school on Broad Street, was absolutely perfect. It couldn’t be anything else (or else it would become another moment) and therefore it was just right. This line of thinking helped me to take a few deep, relaxing breaths, and it led me to think more deeply about the perfection of the moment, and of that light. I thought about the people who helped make that little light in a factory somewhere, and how proud they probably were to create such a helpful gadget for my car. I also thought about what a good service the light performs – flashing on in cars all over the world the instant something goes amiss in the engine. All drivers, including me, should be grateful to have such a loyal signal light that’s always ready to help us avoid trouble. By the time I reached home, I was smiling and relaxed. Somehow it wasn’t a big deal anymore. I told myself I’d have it checked as soon as possible and see what new and interesting things I can learn about my car.