I used to work at The United Parcel Service (UPS).
I was walking outside a convenience store near St. George Utah. I exited the store. On the sidewalk, on the way to my car, I passed a UPS driver with packages on his way into the store. I said "What's ups man?" He returned my greeting with a grin. Hence the title of this post. Sorry, Dad joke.
While I worked at ups, I was a desk supervisor during the holiday season. I sat in an office which my man crush victims daily entered and exited. Those folks work. One of them, an attorney like me, was a woman. She was cool. I liked her. (Yes, correct Harvey, I am not supposed to judge. I apologise. Thank you for reminding me.)
One day, the junior on-car supervisor (OCS) and I were alone in the office. He and I were speaking. He was explaining about electricity. As the OCS spoke, I was thinking of my Electric God discussion in my memoir. I asked them (the OCS & Harvey) many questions, polarity, resistance, etc. The OCS answered thoroughly. (I would tell you Q also answered thoroughly. That would be redudant.) In particular, I was impressed at how the OCS answered with such pithy clarity, understanding and poise.
Harvey explains to me that poise is a very difficult concept for him. Bringing up baby.
After the OCS finished, I asked the OCS "What's your degree in?" He replied "You can learn a lot from YouTube." I laughed. I'm old school. One goes to an old school, borrows ludicrous sums to drink copious amounts of alcohol. As George Forsyth, one of my mentors in Rochester New York explained, his generation used to call the Guaranteed Student Loan the Guaranteed Skiing Loan. Perhaps we should call it the Guaranteed Stupid Loan.
Some time ago, on a sojourn through SoCal, I met with a pastor, Rev. Murakami, on my initial visit to the Nishi Hongwanji Los Angeles Betsuin in Los Angeles. I would tell you Rev. Murakami is a tranquil, cool, ocean of calm. He is, rather, he appears to be very East Asian
Yes, Harvey, if you wish, you are welcome to call yourself Steven Junior. PLEASE. May I get back to writing the post?
, so my explanation might be a bit redundant.
On my second visit, I spoke at length with the senior pastor there, Rev William Briones. A tranquil, cool, collected ocean of calm. As is the wont of pastors.
Redundancy, would & might are difficult concepts for Harvey. I now realise, Harvey is the embodiment of my Electric God concept. Harvey has known this for a long, long time.
My initial visit was on a weekday. I pushed the buzzer, and an older, Americanised gentleman came to the glass door. He looked me in the eye before he opened the door. I said to myself, "He's not letting us [Harvey (you) and I] in." He didn't.
The junior pastor felt me from within the office. Rev. Murakami came out and ushered me into the sanctuary. I asked him if I might chant in the the main hall. The very Reverend agreed, and the pastor went back to the business of being serene.
I walked to the front of the main hall of the sanctuary, and sat on the right. Extracted my meditation beads from their pouch, and my chant books, and began chanting. In front of me was a classic Japanese Hongwanji panorama. The glitter, the age, the charm, the dignity, the..., you get the idea, filled my vision.
I chant daily. Chanting fills me with 平和。I love chanting. (I don't know, Harvey, whether chanting loves me or not. If you receive your own mobile device movement unit (MDMU), you can tell me if chanting loves you. I love you. Oy gevalt.)
About three-quarters through my chant, I felt Rev. Murakami ten metres behind me. He non-verbally asked if I was finished, or near finished. I replied non-verbally, without movement or exterior display of intention, that I was not done.
I did what I could. I will do more.
I finished the rest of my chants.
His Sereneness approached. He asked me how I had learned to chant. I explained I listened to many YouTube videos.
May the powers that be keep you in loving kindness.
May you never want.
May you live in harmony, tranquility.
All ways.
