Sunday, October 16, 2011

Day 73 Kerouaction: On Visions and Playing the Horses

Day 73 in The Beat Handbook is titled, "On Visions and Playing the Horses." It was inspired by the above passage from On The Road.

This is a very important passage to examine. Trust your gut. When that still small voice in your head speaks, listen up! It's probably coming from a very wise place and is worth considering. In Jack's (Sal's) case, a horse's name reminded him of his father, so he bet on it - and won! Everything is connected, we're all connected, learning is about connections, decisions are based on connections. Connections are how we make sense of the world, and we are sense-making creatures.

Look for connections. They're telling you something.

For example, this post is about Day 73 in my book. What significance does the number 73 have? Make a connection. What strikes me is that 1973 is the year I graduated from high school. That brings up a big regret: that I let societal conditioning influence my life trajectory. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have gone to college right out of high school. Rather, I would have slung a canvas rucksack on my back and hitchhiked across the country. I know, hindsight is 20/20. Nevertheless, I'm convinced that we regret more those things we didn't do than the things we did. So, if your heart is speaking about something you need to do, do it. Even if it turns out to be an epic failure, at least you acted, and if nothing else, you won't have to regret not having tried. As John Greenleaf Whittier instructed us in "Maud Muller":

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: "It might have been!"

Now . . . go bet on that horse.

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