在我们居住的半月湾，有个叫肯的流浪汉。他住在主街的桥下，就住在车里，靠木雕为生。他把所有的木雕作品都摆放在桥下，白天就待在那里。当时，我刚刚经历了一场非常痛苦的离婚，我的生活非常动荡不安。我感到非常焦虑和不快乐，不知道自己接下来该怎么办，不知道自己的人生会变成什么样。
有一次，我和儿子亚当沿着主街散步，当时他大概12、13岁，刚开始对打鼓感兴趣。
他说：“爸爸，我想给你介绍一位我的鼓老师。”
我说：“当然。”
于是他带我走到桥下，肯就在那里。他说：“我正在跟肯学打鼓。”
我说：“什么？！你竟然跟这个住在桥下的流浪汉学打鼓？”
他说：“是啊，下来看看吧。”
我对整件事并不太高兴，但我还是来了，见到了肯，并了解了他的故事。
肯曾是附近红木城的一名高中教师，但生活给了他很多打击。他失去了工作，失去了婚姻，失去了房子，失去了一切。他一无所有。
但我和肯坐在桥下时，我注意到他非常平静。他看起来很安然无恙。生活真美好。
我问：“肯，为什么我觉得自己对生活很不满意？我拥有这么多，而你却一无所有。到底是怎么回事？你怎么能对自己的生活如此满意呢？”
肯拿出一个鼓，开始敲打起来。
他说：“这是始终存在的心跳。是我们自身的心跳；是我们生命的心跳。”
于是他开始打鼓。
然后，你知道，12岁的亚当坐下来，也开始打鼓。他当时就在意识里。当他在意识里的时候，对他来说，那种意识的体现就是鼓点——那就是基本的心跳。
于是，亚当加入了每周二晚上都去桥下和肯一起打鼓的那群孩子。当时我觉得一切都很好。其他孩子的家长也都觉得很好。我们确信孩子们会得到很好的照顾。
亚当和他的朋友们学会了如何与那个基本心跳建立联系。
时间快进到大约20年后。
亚当现在做什么呢？他在旧金山当音乐老师。他去各个社区的学校教课。他说有时候学校里很混乱，尤其是在贫困社区。有些孩子无家可归，或者不知道父母会在哪里；这些孩子的生活充满了各种各样的事情。他教孩子们打鼓的方式是，他走进教室，然后，他不会站在讲台上讲解——不会说“这就是音乐的本质。这是C大调音阶。这是D大调音阶。”——他只是坐在教室里，看着孩子们跑来跑去，互相扔东西，做他们喜欢做的事情。
然后，他开始敲鼓。
最终，孩子们学会了打鼓。他们找到了能将他们凝聚在一起的节奏。他的音乐课就是这样开始的。
他跟我讲了一个女孩的故事，她无家可归，不知道父亲在哪儿，母亲也有些问题。他们家没有人高中毕业。她开始学小提琴，非常兴奋。她想上大学，成为一名音乐家。他一直在鼓励她。
肯还待在半月湾的桥下。他不想讲述生活如何摧残了他，他只是感受着当下的心跳。
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Beautiful story! Ken, I believe, is closer to Reality than most of us. He is more in tune, most likely, bc he has been stripped of many societal things and perhaps ego as well. He is truly giving of himself, and yet, has “nothing”. He hears the beat of the universe!
Whenever I go to do storytelling in classrooms, at my tipis in Fairytale Town, or elsewhere, I take my drum with me. The drumbeat is invitation to story-time, and coincidentally to refuge from the brokenness and violence of the world. Yes indeed the Universe does have a "rhythm", a "hum" like the didgeridoo (that I also sometimes use). I like to recall writer Eugene Peterson's words for this "hum" or beat of the drum, "unforced rhythms of grace", indeed like breathing slowly, unhurried and aware of our own breath.
The drum quietly calls to the heart and soul of the troubled or distracted. And when I begin to speak or chant, the drum keeps time in a cosmic way. Yes, I am a "Christian"* a follower of the one called Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God. And because of that surrendered following I encounter God everywhere; throughout Creation, in books I read and people too, wherever I go. I simply see in Christ the fulfillment of all the truths I encounter elsewhere. There is more good going on than we can see, and in it, in Divine LOVE (God by any name), we are far richer than we know.
*Not to be confused with institutional christianity, nor the human aberrations of "evangelicalism" nor "fundamentalism".
Hoofnote: I always conclude my times with The Two Wolves story of Cherokee and Lakota culture:
My grandfather was teaching me about life. I asked him why there was so much violence and killing in the world? He said, "There is a fight going on inside all of us.
[Hide Full Comment]It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
I thought about it for a minute and then asked my grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
Grandfather simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Here's to being in the heartbeat of the present. thank you for the reminder!