“I’ll play it first and tell you what it is later.” – Miles Davis
Today’s little gem of wisdom alludes to the fact that ingenuity rarely arises out of well laid plans. We all have ‘our plan’- but we sometimes forget that life, and the universe as a whole, has a plan too. In order to get in on that plan, we need to be willing to stay soft and receptive. When we get caught up in putting our little box around the things in our world, we become rigid and single minded.
Imagine a carpenter who has a blueprint in his mind of the dream home he wants to build. He stacks his lumber, gets his box of nails, and lines up the correct number of windows and doors to complete his plan. He puts his head down and goes to work on his plan. Meanwhile, the fluid universe swirls in possibility all around him. Day after day it provides inspiration and input. Yet, as long as his head is down in consternation, he will never see the myriad of beautiful options and wise counsel that unveil before him without end. He may not notice the amazing sunrise that bleeds light into the dark horizon each morning just on the other side of the solid wall he is building. If he would just look up to see its beauty, he would surely change his plans and put a window in that solid place. As he hammers fervently to follow his plan, he may fail to notice the cold north wind that hits squarely upon the place he has chosen for his front door. He is too focused on his own vision to see the future waving before him, warning him that every time he walks into this home that should be his sanctuary, that cold north wind will enter with him.
It’s okay to have a plan, sometimes it is what gets us out of bed in the morning- but it is so important to stay soft and pliable. There is always a higher source of knowledge that gives its input freely. If we are able to listen, we often do end up putting a window in where we never saw the need for one- or closing off an entry point to something we do not wish to welcome in.