tribute to mr jobs.

i like my new writing studio. aka apple store. how does it work? i book an early bird personal project session. two hours. i go in at eight. the bright, beautiful, spacious store is not yet open. clean and quiet. a fresh and smiling young dude welcomes me across the threshold, checks me in. i set myself up in a corner and start working. why can't i do it in my own writing room? here's my issue. i've been treating the computer as a typewriter, pretty much. that works well when i wrote from scratch and typed away until i get a full length manuscript. now that i am in a restructuring and rewriting phase i need a lot more tools to help me navigate the hundreds of pages and the jungle of scribbled post-its and note pads and...napkins and toilet papers. yes, i have a whole box of them. and somehow every pop-up window and every button paralyze me. i get stuck. it's almost like i am afraid if i push the wrong button it would be the end of the world. here's where apple store comes in. they have this incredible set-up. i do my personal project. when i have a question about a button, or i have something i want to do but i don't have the relevant computer skill the supervising trainer would jump in and figure it out. of course these trainers are adept with computers. but what's truly amazing is that they are all creative people in their own right. writer, photographer, cook, musician. they do it with such enthusiasm. i say, i don't know how to quickly access anywhere i want to in the 600 page manuscript. the trainer takes my question seriously and starts looking into options. as he pours himself into the various buttons and drop-down menus i realize why i am drawn to come back to the store like this. i don't feel alone, that i have to figure it out all by myself, i feel supported, encouraged and i am around nice and great energy. i let out a long sigh of relief.


when the two hour session is over, the trainer always says, you can keep working. and no one pushes me to buy anything. but i can say this much. i have already ditched microsoft word and dived into apple's pages. why? because i get one-to-one support on the spot as i write. between looking up a user manual and working with smart, courteous, fun people it's no brainer to choose.

on the spiritual path we look at whether a teacher is great or not by looking at the students. here's to you, mr jobs. you have created a world where creative pursuits are valued and nourished. you've made possible the process of creating fun, enjoyable and beautiful. thank you.

screwing up? not so.

right off the bat let me offer healing prayers for the person who was injured. having done that i can praise the awesomeness of the workings of grace. so there i am mixing up about the session time in apple store. somehow i am just filled with the 'conviction' that it is eleven. check ical? the thought never comes to me. forgetfulness, right? turns out my session is noon. the long and short of it is i get onto the homeward shuttle after the session. the driver starts talking about a shooting. it happened on the road where i usually go through to take the shuttle. now the middle section is all roped off. i have to go all the way around in order to get home. as i walk under the midday sun a bright sound comes up in me. eleven. i know exactly what it means. the next day i knock on the door of my neighbor, ms williams, who knows everything in the neighborhood. i ask her, well, of course i first ask her if anybody is hurt, and yes, someone is still in the hospital for that, and then, i ask her, when did it happen. need i repeat what she said? of course i do. eleven in the morning, she says. i would have left at eleven for a session scheduled at noon and i would have run right into the whole episode. how about a big round of applause for the incredible intelligence of my great self and how far i have come in terms of listening to the promptings of grace. really. i didn't screw up. i was following the voice of my great self. wow.

then i recall these words of my guru.
while grace is penetrating deeply
i say to myself
people say grace is a shelter
why, then, am i losing all i have?

screwing up? losing all i have? on the path to knowing the self, living in the self, everything is an opportunity to deepen and strength my connection to my own true nature.

21st century heaven. at your fingertips.

picture this. about 8 am. i'm approaching the apple store for my training. what do i see coming out of that store? by the way the storefront looks practically like a giant macbook pro. an elderly lady walking with a cane. it's evident that she has pretty severely arthritic knees. her salt and pepper - more salt than pepper - hair flows in the gentle morning breeze and takes on a soft glow of the morning lights. one of those blue tee-shirt apple guys is holding the door for her while also maneuvering a loaded cart. it is packed with a 27 inch desktop and piled with all kinds of gorgeous accessories. the ponytailed young man carefully adjusts his pace to be in sync with the lady. it is such a beautiful scene. the ancient and the edgy.

then this. while i am waiting for my trainer i watch this 'granny' couple working some project with their trainer. they are just like any other caucasians. the guy has a potbelly, white hair. i hear him say, i'll let her take the driving seat. wise man i'd say. the lady has this no-nonsense presence, clean and modestly dressed. obviously a couple who has worked hard and raised their family. how do i know? they are working with a lot of stuff about their grandkids and several times i hear the words 'retirement plan,' 'returns.' here's the fun part. their trainer is this african-american young guy with a gravelly voice. the way he singsongs 'mission control,' 'launching pad' makes me think of louis armstrong launching into 'what a wonderful world.' this threesome really get along because every now and then i'd hear raucous laughter spilling over into my corner. it's simply delightful.

no wonder apple stuff are so much more expensive. they generate priceless experiences. mr jobs and his spectacular team have managed to create things that can connect people regardless their age, race, whatever background. i can see that lady who is walking with great difficulty even with a cane is having a beautiful time with her 27'. on her own and coming to one-to-one sessions in the store. who wouldn't, really. a bright and gorgeous world is opened up for her with endless possibilities. welcome to a new life. it's the 21st century heaven. at your fingertips.

i learn so much from this young person

the night before a workshop hwubby runs into some technical issues. so he does the only thing he knows how. he sprints to the apple store. it is fifteen minutes before closing time. the guy assigned to help him says, don't worry, we'll get it done. and he does. hwubby says, he knows what he's doing, he's smart and focused. hwubby likes to find out about people. so he says, what do you do other than this? hwubby doesn't recall how the transitions goes. but very quickly the young man says, i have brain cancer. it turns out that for ten days every month he is sick as can be because of the chemo. yet he is a student, he works at the apple store, he lives by himself, he is at peace with the cards dealt him.

frequently hwubby and i have the great good fortune of meeting people who live a pure and courageous life without saying so. they live by their shining examples. really. i learn so much about acceptance and living in the present moment and staying focused on the task at hand just by hearing how this young person carries himself.