“See the face of god in everyone and everything.”
I’m surprised that this reminder does not bother me. I usually find references to god unendurable. But for some reason this works for me. It works like nothing else to remind me that everyone is my path.
Take for instance last week’s trip to the bank. I have several accounts at Bank of the West in my town. I opened the first account when I moved here 8 years ago, and I have a couple savings accounts, two business accounts, and my husband also has accounts there. For at least 5 of the last 8 years I have come in weekly to deposit checks from my business. At various times I have had over $100K deposited here.
It has never once happened that any employee of the bank has gone out of their way to smooth the way for a transfer or to help me have something happen faster. Last week I had a small check from a new client written to my new company. I didn’t yet have the paperwork from the state to open a business account. Any other bank would have let me deposit it in my personal account; I had asked several other people if their bank would do this and they said yes. In fact, I have had other banks do that exact thing.
But I knew that this bank wouldn’t. Yet, I seemed to want to get angry, I seemed spoiling for a fight. And Kathy, the account manager who most often shook her head and said in her high whispery voice, “No, we can’t do that,” was going to help me. I’d been hoping for Joan, who at least had a sense of humor about these things, but I was going to get Kathy. And as I sat and waited (25 minutes, 28 minutes…) I seethed. And then I thought, What does it mean to see the face of god in Kathy? And instantly a smile stretched my face. Kathy as the face of god was a lesson in patience, in expectations, in self-righteousness, in judgement. Ohmigod, she was the perfect lesson. It had to be the face of god, because it was so perfect.
So eventually Kathy came and got me (I didn’t notice how long I’d waited–I was so tickled by this “face of god” thing—looking around at the old gent, and at the young teller who had learned her lesson well and told me “no” at least 5 times—all the face of god!) and I asked her and she shook her head as if I was asking her to open her cash drawer and give me all the dough, and make it quick.
And the next day my paperwork came through, and I went back to my bank, and Kathy opened my new business account for me. It took at least an hour… but I smiled through the whole thing. Bank of the West is the face of god.
Well Virgina,
You know me…no comprendo face of god. But did have one of those BFO’s (Brilliant Flashes of the Obvious) yesterday at Macy’s of all places. Down there getting new wok for new house before taking off for hiking. All wide-open awareness and giddy with the beauty of the day. Weather cool, windy and spilling sunshine everywhere. Dogs waiting patiently in car and me full of love for the universe.
Until I tried to circumnavigate the cosmetics department to get upstairs to my lofty goal, the housewares area. Braced for the usual assault of “fragrances” wafting through the counters I was undone by the sheer numbers of beautiful young girls trying on perfumes and getting makeovers (how could they possibly imagine they needed that?) So many, so loud, so reeking. Finally got upstairs and made my purchase even though that department too seemed inundated by crazed shoppers demanding attention from salespeople and dropping pots and pans to add to the general frenzy.
In commiserating with saleswoman told her about the chaos downstairs and in the telling of it realized with a mental smack up side the head that in fact and probably to her, I was no different than those seething hordes. Just another shopper. NOT an identity I cared to acknowledge but there it was.
Then, walking to my car in parking lot full of vehicles caught myself JUDGING every car I passed! Completely surprised to see this one. Poor little inanimate objects sitting innocuously where they’d been left by their owners and at each one my little mind was saying “yes” to the ones of which I approved and a definite “no” to the ones which did not meet my high standards. The criteria, I realized , were pretty high falutin as well: “Too bright, too blue, too chrome.” The good news was that it was so ridiculous when I finally caught on, that I actually let out a snort and a chuckle and enjoyed the joke at my own expense.
Perhaps in honor of PP will rename “BFO’s” “EIYT’s” (Everything is your teacher.)
Warm practice wishes my friend,
Susan