There is Dung Littering My Stream Bed.

"Its only the surface of the water that's clear
There's mud in the stream, you'll discover;
And when the Demon troubles you to test you
The water will once again become mud-colored.
There is dung littering your stream-bed, my friend,
However pure the stream may appear."

--Rumi, from Daily OM A Year of Rumi

Sometimes the Universe just kicks my f-ing ass with a quote and this is one of those times. I have spent all weekend in turmoil over various issues in my life, my monkey mind working non-stop. 

This morning I got up early, determined to calm it with a hour of silent meditation. 

It worked. I felt centered. Grounded. Clear. Like the clear water of a stream. And, once again, I thought that was going to be the end of the story. 

"Okay, now I am clear," I said to myself. Back on track. In the groove. Good to go. 

And then a kid had to stay home from school and a meeting had to be rescheduled and a lunch had to be cancelled and phone calls had to be made and it was mud and dung everywhere. 

But that's the way it's SUPPOSED to be Rumi says. Or, at least, the way it IS. Whether we like it or not, no matter how pure our stream-bed may appear.