“Empire State of Mind”

65 Marbles 

     In yesterday’s marble I mentioned an interview with Jay-Z in which he viewed an uncertain future as exciting.  What also struck me is that he viewed the past through a positive filter as well.  He described his youth as a great upbringing despite being born and raised in the projects in Brooklyn without a father in his formative years.  As a child, he would play in the courtyards of the buildings and every so often, guys would run through the grounds shooting oozies and all the kids would have to run inside until the coast was clear. This makes my growing up in a middle-income disjointed family peppered with mental illness seem like a breeze. 
     Jay-Z’s attitude was that he learned so much from his past.  I was talking with my running partner about this yesterday during our jog. His point of view was similar to my daughter’s yesterday that, it’s easy to view the past through rose-colored glasses when in your present, you’re “cruisin’ down 8 street, off- white Lexus.” If he hadn’t done well, the past may have been used as an explanation or the thing that held him back. I understand my running partner's point of view, yet again, I wonder if Jay-Z's positive attitude came after success or was it one of the contributing factors to the building of his music, philanthropic, and business empire?
     The word empire comes from the Latin word imperium meaning power or authority. Is it possible that we harness the greatest power when we receive "what is" with equanimity rather than resistance? Doesn’t it serve us better to juice every ounce of learning out of our past instead of judging it for what it wasn’t? And if it’s true what the poet Hafiz wrote, “The place where you are right now, God circled on the map for you,” isn’t it equally true that the place where you were was circled as well? Why judge God’s cartography skills?
     This attitude may also be applied to the post breakup landscape. It is now my mental challenge that whenever I go into judgment of my relationship with Ex-man or my childhood that wasn’t Norman Rockwell, I will flex my mental muscle of equanimity and say, “I learned so much from where I’ve come from.” Thanks, family; thanks, Ex-man; and a shout out to Jay-Z.  

If your past wasn't what you'd have consciously chosen, can you resist judgment and juice learning out of it? If your present breakup landscape isn't what you would have consciously chosen, can you try framing it as a great learning experience? Could it be that all the places in your past were circled on the map for you?