In Spanish there’s an expression: “La vida da muchas vueltas”. I’d translate that as “Life is full of surprises”. You never know what is going to happen or how something will turn out. That’s why, as much as we try to plan, predict, control and manipulate, life always has its own plans for us.
Some people find that incredibly scary. For me, it’s currently comforting because you can merely allow life to do its thing and go with it. It’s a lot simpler to live like that, as you’re not constantly trying to second-guess something that hasn’t happened yet. It frees you up to fully taste the fruit that’s available now, knowing that there will always be some sort of fruit hanging from the trees. Fruit that you can’t yet even imagine.
When I was 6 I used to pray to God that my parents would get back together again. At some point I realised my prayers weren’t being answered and I stopped believing. Now, 29 years later, my parents spend a lot of time together with the family and on their own! They aren’t together in the traditional sense of the word but they obviously love each other and (sometimes) really enjoy each other’s company. La vida da muchas vueltas. Life is full of surprises.
One month ago I came to Chiclana planning to spend just a few days in this town in Cadiz, and here I am, still looking out at the southern blue sky, white houses and rebellious sea. Over the summer I had a vision where I saw lots of guitars in my mind, and I am now surrounded by people who play guitar really well and are helping me to improve.
On the Sunday morning before I came here, I thought I was going to Zaragoza to run a workshop with my colleague. By Sunday evening I found out it had been cancelled and I got a call from someone in Chiclana saying that he was coming to pick me up from Madrid in his car. Someone that I had met 4 years earlier, completely coincidentally and fleetingly, and we’d only got back in touch with each other over this summer… La vida da muchas vueltas. Life is full of surprises.
And the river of life carries on. The problem is when we add in lots of meaning and elaborate stories to what happens to us, fixing experiences in our minds, rather than allowing them to be dynamic, full of fresh colours.
In fact, you are the river of life, not your experiences. So, there’s nothing that you lack at any point – not in the “good” times nor in the “bad” times…
2020 must be laughing its head off at some of the plans we had this year. Loud, erratic laughter but with an underlying quiet knowing that… La vida da muchas vueltas. Life is full of surprises.