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("Zero Point of Creation", 2018, original encaustic)

In Praise of Mindlessness

I’ve sought and found mindlessness in a variety of ways
From dancing to climbing, meditating and painting,
but in retirement I find it easiest mowing the arboretum.

As I weave in and out of the randomly placed trees and shrubs
and regularly spaced irrigation pipes
I seek the novel and fresh at every turn.

It’s best when I find it
unexpectedly zipping off in a new direction
exploring new paths, carving new patterns.

In these moments there is a rush
as the spontaneous surprises me, creativity takes hold,  
and I can’t help but ride the moment.

I’ve spent years aiming for this moment on a cushion
and find poetic justice
in the fact it is at last as easy as pie in retirement.

Of course it’s not true mindlessness
after that initial spontaneous instant.
I have to make sure I don’t drive over anything.

But the random is always an option, and eagerly seeking it 
leads me to fall, or in this case, drive 
into spontaneous mindlessness again, and again.
.
The joy that accompanies the mindless
is what interests me most.
It’s a self-contained joy that feeds on and for itself.

The German word, ‘funktionslust’ describes it best.
The joy an animal gets doing what it’s meant to do
which of course means it just gets better at doing it.

This is how birds learn to fly and primates climb,
how yogis become accomplished doing nothing and going nowhere,
and how lazy old men get the lawn mowed, with effortless joy.

(9/2/23)

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