The metro parking lot has warning signs on every level about overnight parking. In short, no, none, zero overnight parking. People in the Emirates know to take this seriously. As I walked out on Level 1, the scene was stark. In all directions, my car was the only one present. The slate was clean. Nothing was left except the shell.
With each step towards my car, I could hear life whispering. As today begins, the echo of yesterday evening is still with me. I realise that the fresh awareness is changing how I see the day ahead.
Believing the slate can be cleared is not automatic. I do not think I have ever seen a parking lot like this at 6.30 in the evening. I am not sure what I expected. Whatever it was, I assumed there would be others late, maybe even a violator or two. To see every parking space empty was a surprise. There was no trash or anything to remind me of what was. I smiled as I walked, a writer’s words echoing, “I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.” (Hebrews 10.17)
Each day is an opportunity to start with a fresh slate. Metaphorically, a night’s rest can be a pivot point that turns to a fresh page. I look and discover that there are no words, pictures, and, with a realisation of the freedom I have within me, no expectations. Anything is possible as a writer. I can take my story in any direction I choose. Endless opportunities begin to emerge. Each day, and in each moment, is a doorway that leads to my ideals and the vision of what these can be.
Something empty is not to be confused with something full. Buddha reminds me that my heart and soul are always filled. Emptying what is within does not mean I am in a good space. There is purpose in the realisation that the way to clear out the darkness is to fill myself with goodness. In reaching for a better world, I care to make a difference.
