Mind the Gap!

My mind is like Clapham Junction sometimes! Different trains to different places and all dragging a long queue of carriages behind them.
If a train is to Brighton all the following carriages go to Brighton, right? It is the same with my thoughts I’ve recently realised.
Something unpleasant happens and that first carriage drags a long queue of following carriages with grey curtains along with it. These curtains don’t allow me to enjoy the scenes of life, as I can’t see them. Also it’s like a bullet train and is generally going backwards- to the past!
Surprisingly enough if something pleasant determines the starting thought then all the following thoughts are of the same quality. A first class train and with no curtains to block out the scenes outside, going slowly along you can enjoy the journey, and all this is happening without effort!
I have been taking the first train most of this life and it has left me discontent and discontentment has brought the same train back again and again. It is like being on a ring tour: same route, going nowhere different and coming back to where it started!!
- “Hey, you have got to do something about this feeling of exhaustion. At the end of the day it is you who choose which train to jump on.”
- “How do I become clear and attentive and stand on the right platform to catch the right train?”
I decided to keep a gratitude diary. To thank God -or whoever it was that was holding my hand when I was in trouble- for one thing every day from the heart so that I could see those first class trains and carriages more around me.
Guess what? I have been travelling mainly first class recently!

Monday Spiritual Joke #24

INSTALLING LOVE

Customer Service: Can you install Love?

Customer: I can do that. I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready to install now. What do I do first?

Service: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, I have, but there are several programs running right now. Is it okay to install while they are running?

Service: What programs are running?

Customer: Let me see� I have Pasthurt.exe, Lowesteem.exe, Grudge.exe and Resentment.com running right now.

Service: No problem. Love will automatically erase Pasthurt.exe from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually overwrite Lowesteem.exe with a module of its own, called Highesteem.exe. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge.exe and Resentment.com. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Service: My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke Forgiveness.exe. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge.exe and Resentment.com have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, I'm done. Love has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal?

Service: Yes it is. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your Heart. Do you see that message?

Customer: Yes I do. Is it completely installed?

Service: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops� I have an error message already. What should I do?

Service: What does the message say?

Customer: It says "Error 412. Program not run on internal components." What does that mean?

Service: Don't worry, that's a common problem. It means that the Love program is set up to run on external Hearts but has not yet been running on your Heart. It is one of those complicated programming things, but in non-technical terms it means that you have to 'love' your own machine before it can 'love' others.

Customer: So what should I do?

Service: Can you find the directory called 'Self-acceptance'?

Customer: Yes, I have it.

Service: Excellent, you are getting good at this.

Customer: Thank you.

Service: You're welcome. Click on the following files and then copy them to the 'Myheart' directory: Forgiveself.doc, Selfesteem.txt, Realizeworth.txt and Goodness.doc. The system will overwrite conflicting files and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Selfcriticize.exe from all directories, and then empty your recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it! Wow! My Heart is filling up with really neat files. Smile.mpg is playing on my monitor right now, and it shows that Warmth.com, Peace.exe and Contentment.com are copying themselves all over my Heart!

Service: Then Love is installed and running. You should be able to handle it from here. One more thing before I go�

Customer: Yes?

Service: Love is freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everybody you are meeting. They will in turn share it with other people, and they will return some really neat modules back to you.

Customer: I will. Thank you for your help.

Service: You're very welcome.