No matter where you are ... there you are.

“No matter where you are … There you are” - Randy Schryer – Past Fire Chief Davis Monthan Air Force Base

NOTE: I should start by explaining a little bit about Randy, he started at the lowest level in the Fire Department as a Dispatch supervisor, I worked under him for 2 years on and off. He worked his way from the lowest position to the highest position attesting to the fact that if you work hard enough, set your goals and follow that path you will achieve what ever you want. Randy was an inspiration to me and still is in all that I do. He was always laid back and took all things in stride. He was fond of a former Fire Chief’s practice of taking time out of the day to stare out the window and watch the clouds go by. Randy will be missed as he passed away a while ago. But, what he has shown me and others will echo in eternity.

The quote itself is a Zen Kōan, You are where you are because of your own actions and your own state of mental mind. "You" bring actions against yourself, if you trip and fall walking down the street, it is not the fault of the street it is the fault of your own poor awareness that caused you to miss the crack in the street that you fell over. You are the only one who controls what happens to you and how you feel. At any given time in your life you are there because of what you have done to get there, consciously or unconsciously, it is cause and affect. If you are in a shitty situation it is because you put yourself there and you allowed yourself to be put there. I am here because I put myself here and no matter where I go and what I do it will always be where I am. This is also a good grounding point because it can also be a “here and now” awareness. Where am I? And what is happening around me? And what am I doing to provide positive energy to promote peace and happiness? Sometimes the contemplation of this quote is enough to drop my heart rate and mental state to a level of peaceful tranquility because ... No matter where I am, there I am.

Peace be with you,
GhostDog