Countdown to Karma
Mother never repaid an ill, rude, or cruel deed aimed at her
with anything but charity. Not to say she didn’t shed a few tears when they
happened, but she never raged and plotted revenge. After the initial pain
subsided she would pray for the person’s Highest Good and move on, tucking away
the lesson in a journal or the outhouse.
Me, on the other hand,
in my oh so much younger days, was a bit of a lose cannon and would sit in a pot
of rage days, for stirring up ways to cleverly and deceptively ‘off their
heads.’ Maturity eventually set in, but
I have to say I never got to that calm grace my mother had in those dreadful situations
until a few years ago. Ok, the other day.
Mother was a firm believer of Karma. She never called it that mind you; “Law of
the Harvest”, “What goes around comes around”, “Putting it all in God’s hands.” Those were her terms. It was Karma non the less. That quiet current
of clever energy that neatly, yet powerfully, throws every bit of crap a
person spews out right back at them, full force plus 10. Karma is not too swift however. Not like me, the Queen of Instant Gratification who demands
the payback be instantaneous to the
crime.
Now why would I bring this up? You just know there’s a story coming, right?
Yes.
Taking on a major endeavor, like founding Apple or Uber, tends
to set up situations where conflict can breed contempt. My mother’s schools were certainly no
exception. She has a passion for
children and a vision of how learning should take place. She was also the most
tenacious person I have ever met when she wanted something, save me once when I wanted a pony.
Strong willed smart individuals in disagreement can work out
just about any problem if they are both sane, and check their egos in the coat
closet upon arrival. You’d think sanity would be the first prerequisite, but I
content it’s the ego that sets up the downfall.
Heck, maybe they are the same, but for the point of discussion lets just
stick to Ego as the biggest culprit.
Conversely, when egos are not in check, all kind of nasty drama
can spew forth. The ego whoops and hollers,
then plots and schemes to get it’s own way.
The endorphin surge is organismic at the thought of a pulling off a coup
d'etat and gaining keys to whatever kingdom it has is in it’s cross-hairs. Novels
are written depicting this very situation. Heck, the world has almost been destroyed
a few times following this scenario.
Well, sure enough, a situation similar to above did disrupt: Nasty Kindergarten betrayals happening in the
Boardroom, and mom came out on the short end of the stick. Totally blindsided
she packed up shop and headed south to write away her memoirs. Early
retirement. She never went back. She didn’t have to as she accomplished what
she originally set out to do. She cried
a few tears, then left others take it to the next level on their terms.
Me, on the other hand, was enraged! I was a fierce protector
of my mother, not that she needed it. Kind
of like a Chihuahua guarding a St.
Bernard, but such was my devotion. Once again, mother calmly told me that other
people had lessons to learn along their journey and all would eventually work
out in the end. My vision was not as far sighted but I backed down calling in lawyers as that was
her wish.
Mom knew Karma would make things right in the end. She didn’t
live long enough to see it however, but
I did. And let me tell you, Karma outdid
herself with a plot twist that would put the Bard to shame.
New day. New time. New people who wanted to know the history
of how the school began 25 long years ago – save the drama of one bad egg.
Since mom was gone I was invited to speak on her behalf and
to tell the 650 people in attendance all
about my mother and why she started the school. It was an honor beyond belief
and I felt her spirit next to me beaming with pride. She would have been dancing a gavotte with
the little ones and discussing inverse fractions in Latin with the 8th
graders. Hundreds of people thanking her with tears in their eyes, through
me, for founding a school that helped their gifted child. 650 happy smiling
faces. Well, let’s make that 649…
I am quit sure the person who cleverly undermined my mothers
departure way back when did not expect to see me in attendance, nor have me be
at the place of honor, nor want to hear my words as the Keynote speaker and
ribbon cutter. I am really sure they
were also more than a little taken aback that Mother’s beautiful portrait –
which had once been banned from the entry and placed in the closet - was once
again hoisted in it’s place of honor. In all fairness, others had their little
picture up there too, as no one is never totally evil. The big person in me wrote
that last sentence. The little girl in me is not so sure….
Karma even sat with us at the same table. I was hesitant at first to sit down with them
and growled a bit under my breath to one of mother’s dear friends who had been
a teacher there for decades and lived through the debacle. She calmly patted my hand and reminded me
that I was obligated to behave myself because I was an adult. Then she reminded
me of my mother’s grace and belief in Karma.
I behaved and I did not feel smug…. Ok, just a tad, but it was well hidden.
I looked gracious.
There is not a one of us who has not let our ego run a muck
at one time or another – if we’re truly honest with ourselves. And we have all
been on the other end of the stick of being hurt by the crappy actions of
another. Life. Just a part of the human condition. I’m sure there’s many a
gentle soul out there who once started off as a raging egomaniac, at least as a
toddler, but Karma’s punch woke them forever out of their stupor. We live and hopefully learn to be better human beings in
the process.
My Point: Karma will eventually show up if you ‘let go’ of
the anger and need for revenge. You
know, 9.999% of the time, the other person doesn’t lose one second of sleep
over the angst they caused you. In all truth, you are not important to them. They
are myopic. But keep the faith and
remember, it takes a while for Karma to do her stuff because you are not the
only note on the page. All the players need to be in place, at the right time,
for the lesson to be completed. Your only mission is to forgive and move
forward.
And yes, that’s a difficult things to do when someone’s put a
hole through your heart, or your moms… But that’s not what “praying for someone’s
Highest Good” is about. Highest Good
leaves the door open for lots of options. They may have had a small lack of
judgment and be deserving a “Get out of Jail Free pass.” Or they may be masters at debauchery deserving
a star studded Epic takedown. In that case, it’s ok to hope for a front row seat plus a bucket of popcorn. But it’s not your call. Take Peace in knowing you did the right thing
and let Karma do hers. And after witnessing
this past event, I can truly tell Karma knows what she’s doing.
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