Ten thousand potholes (between here and there)
Lao Tzu is fond of calling the diversity of the world The Ten Thousand Things. He speaks of a unity permeating the ten thousand things.
When I was on the road driving artwork around the nation for a year and a half, I must have been unconsciously appropriating Lao Tzu, for I was fond of saying to myself — or to whomever was packing artwork for transport: “Pack it well, there are ten thousand potholes between here and there.”
You don’t recognize the severity of the situation until you’re in a van packed with fragile work. And then you slam through a pothole at 70 miles an hour. And then another and another.
There is only one way to prepare for this, and that is to prepare. In the case of artwork, the preparation is in the planning and packing and loading of the work. Once en route you’ve done your work.
Isn’t this true of everything?
Let’s say I have a big dream. To get from here to there, inevitably, there will be ten thousand unexpected things along the way. For me, time in silence is my preparation. Daily.
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