"Old Faithful" Works

Before the eruption, I could hear the deep whirl of traveling water. I knew the destination would, again, be my bathroom and, like Old Faithful, a geyser of two inch high water burst out of my bathtub drain and filled the basin with foreign waters. On this day, at this discharge, I had just arrived from work and with me, in my gut, I carried a tight knot of romantic rejection. Simultaneously, I watched over the water and wished for approval, but instead of a prolonged thought on the way things should be, I came to a delightful conclusion. “This doesn’t work.”

This is when I stopped. This was the moment I asked myself “what do I need to do, to make this moment work?” I did not like being in that time, but I knew well enough to know that getting away from the bathtub and away from the rejection was not the answer. In fact, I did not have any answers. All I felt I had, was that moment; the present.

I stepped further into bathroom, where I sat on the countertop. This was the transition from stopping one state of thought to starting a new state of thought. I chose to do nothing but sit and feel that tight knot of romantic rejection while I watched the water play its predictable part.

After being in some difficult time, the water in the bathtub drained away and the knot loosened, and I found myself happier than when I first walked through my apartment door. This better feeling had a sense of accomplishment to it, which made me want more of it, and while I had no answers, I now knew I could begin with the question; does this work?

If one applies this question to the things one currently does, one is automatically focused on the present and if one does it right, finds honesty too. After all, if one answers the question with “no,” then the future or past can’t change that very moment of existence.

That evening, I phoned my apartment manager about the bathtub for the tenth or twelfth time, but in this instance, I told him the only acceptable outcome was a working bathroom. I said I would not tolerate a patchwork plan or entertain excuses, and within twenty-four hours, I had a fully functioning bathroom.

I am about to enter my third week of practicing present thinking, and the more I do this, the more I understand that is the moment that is the true “Old Faithful”.

See you tomorrow!