Beware of the Gears…   

Last week my buddy and temporary room mate, Vince, went out of town. He left a note on the counter telling us that he was leaving and asking if we could move his car for the street sweeper and then some other stuff that was mostly asinine. He signed the note and left a post script “Beware of the gears.” What an ubiquitous gem! Beware of the gears, the ether, the flotsam and jetsam that push and pull ones destiny at any whim, the gears. This simple statement sent me into a whirl of self-reflection and deep thought; the gears, in the machinery of my destiny were grinding relentlessly forward and there was nothing I could do about it.

“Accept it.” That’s what the great master, Lao Tzu, would say. Or would he? Perhaps acceptance is too active, too involving for the true sage. To really overcome the gears perhaps one must become the gears, become that very driving force, embody it, allow it to act through you.

Become the machine.

To thank Vince for this enlightening tidbit, I decided to move his car for him. I found it on the street, a hulking SUV from the late 90’s, the make and model escape me, but as I put the vehicle into reverse I realized the true meaning of his wise words. The gears of on his car don’t work properly.