What would the Buddha do?

The Buddhist in me says, “eh – I’d just start over again. It’s just stuff.”

It’s easy to say that when it’s a hypothetical. I’m in the safety of my own kitchen, enjoying my Saturday morning cup of coffee.

But what would happen if my house caught on fire? Would “possessions” include pets? If I lost my three cats, dog, African Grey parrot, king snake, and cockroach (yes, I keep a pet Madagascar hissing cockroach. Don’t judge me 😜). If it did, I’d be devastated to put it lightly.  If it was some sort of magical fire that only destroyed non-living things, it would be a struggle to get them housed and taken care of until I got back on my feet. I would worry about them constantly until we were all under the same roof again.

As far as “things” go, I look around my house, and there is little I feel I couldn’t live without. The worst would be my phone and my car. It’s hard to build your life back to normal when your means of communication and transportation are limited.  I have no doubt that I would find a way to get back to business.

Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not like I would shrug the whole thing off like,  “ho-hum, oh well.” I would have many moments of doubt, being terrified, grief and sadness. I would also (hopefully) find moments of love and happiness when family and friends reach out to help.

At the end of the day, we will all lose all of our possessions when we shed our mortal coil. I remind myself of that when something gets ruined, lost, or stolen. One of my tricks to a happy life is to not get too attached – people, places, or things. Everything is impermanent.

I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence. ~ David Bowie, Changes