Beauty and the Muck

One Friday last fall, I got a call from my dad saying that he would be dropping by the next afternoon for a visit – his first visit to us in about 4 years, and the very first for his new wife. As it happened, his call came about ½ an hour before I had scheduled our heating system inspection. It was no surprise to us (my Honey and I) that one of the heating units had to be replaced as well as one of the air conditioning units. Because we were planning to be out of town the following week, we opted to have them replaced the next day and I requested that they be done, if at all possible, an hour before my father and stepmother (you know, I don't like that "label" but can't come up with a better one) were supposed to arrive.

The heating unit was located in the crawl space under our house and had accumulated, in its 11 years of life and function, a great deal of mold and mildew. So as they were removing it, some of the gunk that had accumulated was released into the house. I had spent the two days cleaning and organizing and making our home especially presentable and all day on Saturday found myself coughing and hoarse-throated. Then, once they turned on the new system to test it, additional fumes were released into our home, along with some dust and dirt to make my now-near-perfectly presentable house not-so-presentable.

It wasn’t until later, as I sat in contemplation, that I realized that the old gunk had been infusing our lives for some time and the new gunk, while seeming more toxic, was actually very cleansing, once we cleared it out by opening windows and doors to the outside air (and with the assistance of some well chosen essential oils). The new units are greener, more efficient, and were especially welcome at that time of year in the not-so-deep South, when we might need the air conditioner one day and the heat that same night.

I was reminded through all of this of the beautiful lotus blossom. In order to thrive and grow and produce its loveliest flower, its roots must be firmly established in the gunk – the muddiest, darkest part of the lake or pond. But the stalk must rise out of the muck; the bud must break through the surface of the water, to the clear air, in order to open and display its beauty. And so, when I find myself mired in the muck, the stuff and the mundane of this existence, I remember the humble lotus. And I know why this is such a prevalent image for contemplation and meditation. It is a symbol of enlightenment and remembrance – a shining example of the beauty that can come out of the muck. This life is what we have now; and even in the muckiest of situations, we can choose to remember the beauty that is our True Nature – the light that can be produced from the darkness.