Zen and the Art of Maintenance

Reading Thomas Merton and Failing to repair. Let me begin with the last. This morning I saw for the first time that our watercloset was overflowing. Not very much but nevertheless. And I did have that suspicion one of these days. Isn’t there a water leakage somewhere? Why? Well, the waterbill had been much higher than last year. Ok, I stayed here at home most time. But partly without Willemien? Who would never waste even a cup. But then, remember the drought during the long summertime?
In hindsight I could have seen it on the watercounter: that little Wheel turning instead of standing still. And also the other closet downstairs. No spare parts, , no Praxis-markets open. So I turned off the taps and arranged a bucket. Phone the repairman. Well that was my failure. Months too late discovered what could have been verified on the counter. Lack of attention, perhaps? You may read and practice on mindfullness, but how do you live, practice all those insights?
After lunch I took the shovels and out I went. It is really thawing and the melting snowmasses are heavy to shovel and sweep aside. But I kept going on. Because it would be a long way to Tipperary. Drivewaystaircase step by step. And then the car…Almost vanished under that hughe bump or lump. The car itself was an easy job. But then came all the heaps around. And wet snow is so heavy.
I can’t remember how long I have been doing this heavy thing. I was out of breath. But, ok, we are now ready for take off perhaps tomorrow. Well, and last but not least my reading. Of course I would need more time to tell about that. But let me take that one citation of St. Augustine. Which struck me:

“When the soul deserts the wisdom (sapientia) of love, which is always unchanging and one, and desires knowledge (scientia) from the experience of of temporal and changing things, it becomes puffed up rather than build up. And weighed down in this manner the soul falls away from blessedness as though by its own heaviness.”

Exactly, thankyou St. Augustine, thankyou Thomas Merton!