Finding Center

Recently I was prompted to listen to some music by the group Freelance Whales. My granddaughter, Katie, provided a link, so I tuned in. They produce a very fun and whimsical style of music and lyrics, and I liked it so well that I purchased their CD. As I listened to the lyrics of "Generator-1st Floor," I couldn't help but feel a strange connection to the thought-provoking words...

"We get up early just to start cranking the generator,
Our limbs have been asleep---we need to get the blood back in 'em...
"We keep on churning and the lights inside the house come on,
And in our native language we are chanting ancient songs,
And when we quiet down, the house chants on without us..."

As I mulled those phrases over in my mind, I suddenly realized the depth of their meaning to me.

You see, I think we all wake up the same way---we hope it's a good day. The next few moments, after our eyelids begin to flutter, can determine the course of the next several hours. For me, there must be a connection to my creator, my Father God..."and in our native language we are chanting ancient songs."

If I am "chanting" the song of the redeemed, with a grateful heart, I am sure to have a blessed day. By the same token however, if I am chanting the song of the disgruntled and dismayed, I will surely miss the very same blessings that will come, with or without my participation or acknowledgment! So it is true..."and when we quiet down, the house chants on without us..."

I'm convinced that, (as Steve and Annie Chapman reminded us so long ago) "my heart is like a house..." and the house will chant on and on even after we have abandoned our focus.  "A merry heart doeth good, like a medicine." So, whatever we begin the day with, whether love and joy and peace or griping, complaining and unhappiness, our "house" will continue the chant, and so goes the day---if we don't pause and find our center.
I'm defining center as that place where we retain a more perfect balance, enabling us to deal more efficiently with the trials that the hours ahead may produce for our consideration.

I suppose it's a bit like the old, metal merry-go-rounds in the neighborhood parks of my childhood. They were blistering hot in summer, and freezing cold in winter, but, even so, we could not resist them. We'd pile on and scream at the pushers, "Faster! Faster! We need another master!" It didn't take very many turns to figure out that if you wanted to keep your balance and not be flung off at a frightening speed, you needed to stay near the center. If you were too close to the edge, you couldn't hang on, and what resulted was raw scrapes, various bumps, and a very bruised ego.

So go ahead, chant your ancient songs, set the day in motion, but remember...if you wander too far from your center, you will meet with sudden discomfort that probably could have been avoided altogether.