My Black Bag

Last Friday I arrived at class and saw that it was not there – my famed black bag was not in my trunk. I searched throughout my car and my bag was nowhere. The time had come to begin class so there was no music in class that morning as my black bag held my sound system, i.e. boom box. At the end of class I explained to everyone that the afternoon and evening before I had been to a variety of wholesale vegetable outlets an hour away and had repacked by car upwards of 6 times. Surely, on one of those occasions I had simply failed to put the black bag in the car. They all wished me well in finding it.

When I left class, I again checked my car as I had become confident it was hidden in the back seat. Not there. I had some local errands to do and could not go straight home, so I called the various wholesale vegetable markets to see if a black bag had turned up. “Nope”, was the only answer I got.

When I arrived home that Friday morning, from teaching and doing errands I pulled into my driveway, and lo’ & behold there was my black bag sitting on a chopped tree stump in the driveway. When I had unpacked my car the evening before I had carefully set the bag on the stump and had forgotten to put it back in my trunk. So the bag remained outside the whole night and through the next morning. But at least I had my bag back!

At Saturday morning classes – situation normal. There was music in class.

Monday evening, there were a bunch of things on my desk that I needed to bring with me when leaving for class: Phone, charger, i-Pod (I swear I saw it there), keys etc. I grabbed them all and started the drive to class. Along the way I did the ol’ pocket check and could not come up with my i-Pod. Must have fallen on the floor. When I arrived on site and parked the car then I checked thoroughly and could not find my i-Pod anywhere. Where could it have gone?

Anyway since I could not retrieve my i-pod, there was no need to bring my black bag inside with my sound system – hence there was no music in class. I did not say anything to anyone about it and no one seemed to mind.

When I returned home that evening I looked on my desk and could not find my i-Pod. That was shocking for me as I was sure that was where it was. I searched my room and could not find it anywhere – at some point it was time to sleep.

The next morning, Tuesday, I got in my car early to go and teach. I was determined to find my i-Pod. I looked all through the car – nothing. I taught my private class, then the morning abs class, and then it was time for the 9am class. Many in the Tuesday 9am class are also in the Friday morning class. They all asked if I had found my black bag. I proudly showed it to them. Then I added, “Even then there will not be music today as I cannot find my i-Pod.” They laughed.

Class started and ended, and I went home – once again determined to find my i-Pod. I searched twice-over all my clothing from Monday night. Nothing. I checked the driveway and the car. Nothing. I looked in and around and underneath my desk. Nothing.

I thought I should wash up so I could at least take my breakfast. As I was toweling off in the bathroom, an idea came, “The universe knows where the i-Pod is and the universe will help me find it.” Within a minute or so, without even trying to remember where the i-Pod might be, an idea calmly and gently entered the mind: “Check your jacket from Saturday.”

Immediately, I walked over and checked the pocket from that jacket – lo’ & behold there was the i-Pod.

Today is Wednesday. Once again I have my black bag and i-Pod. Everything is back in sync. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, there will be music in class this evening.

The yogis say this world is like that – things come and go. It is transitory. We catch hold of so many things and then get separated from them – only to find them again – either in their original shape or in some new form. What is really lost and what truly gets found – who can keep track of the balance sheet. The main thing is that we grow in the process – and not get too stressed along the way!!