I’m poised for takeoff to Tokyo during a COVID-19 crisis that might play out any number of ways. Though they said the same of SARS and it did not happen, phrases such as possible world pandemic are used more frequently in the media now. Face masks (even though their usefulness as a prophylactic is questionable) are impossible to find in Tokyo or Victoria. It’s a challenge to proceed with caution and prudence in the face of numerous uncertainties.
Nothing is without risk. Every day is a gamble, never a promise. Any given day might result in a vast range of unknowns–good or bad. Even doing nothing and going nowhere aren’t safe. Not one day comes with a guarantee that anyone anywhere will live through it. That we (mostly) do day after day after day is enough to make the mundane miraculous.
Though it’s anything but easy to achieve it, in the face of uncertainties the Buddha offers wise counsel: Keep your mind level. If your mind is level the whole world is level.
So I dare and soar toward my next Tokyo experience—whatever it holds. Today my dreams and I lift off. Here’s praying for no turbulence and safe landing.
