Welcome to California?????

That's what I'm hearing. But sincere it's not. It's an appropriately sarcastic comment on what's just happened which isn't fun or pretty. I don't know if it's a reflection on the current state that Calif. is in, or the economy, as some have suggested, or if it's just a fluke and bad luck, as others have said. Let me give you a brief rundown.  I'll copy the last couple entries from my Rascal blog to bring you up to speed.

This entry covers from my arrival through the first week:

What a trip!! I never want to do that trip again. Although you never know, after I've rested, and gotten back to, or close to, normal, you never know. I've got a friend that does it on the spur of the moment. Both my parents and my brother did it several times. Maybe it'd be different not driving a truck, hauling a trailer, in mid winter.

I thought it'd get warmer and the weather would be nice as I went south. But those who watch the weather channel, or those who live between New York State and say Dallas, know what a bear the weather was between Jan 7 and 14. I swear the winter was following me, showing me what to expect if I ever came back. It was cold, it was snowing, the roads were icy. Of course living in NYS for so long had equiped me for dealing with it, and truthfully by NYS standards it was almost laughable, an inch or two of snow, and some slick roads. BUT it wasn't funny to the people that lived there, they didn't have a clue how to drive in it, they weren't equipped to deal with it. I heard on the news that one county down there had one, yes one, snowplow, for the whole county. Not to mention I was driving a truck, hauling a trailer. So I took my time, drove slower than neccesary sometimes, and stopped overnight until I was almost out of Texas. Of course it wasn't all due to the weather, I lost my taillights the first day out, which made it neccesary to stop at night too.
I left NY on 1/7 and finally got to Ranger Texas on the 12th, I left Ranger about 7am on the 13th, and had a bright idea. The trailer was due back at Uhaul on the 14th, I had about 1300 miles to go, and it was Thursday. I stopped at a Walmart, and a Tractor Supply, and bought two 6 volt flashlights, some red paint and the stuff to attach them to the rear of the trailer, voila' taillights.... I should say, the weather had turned around and was fantastic too, sunny, blue sky and dry roads. I was driving 65-70mph most of the way. Thursday night, I also lost all turn signals and emergency flashers. So now I drove the rest of the way, no taillights, no turn signals, no emergency flashers, just two flashlights with lenses painted red for taillights. To make a long story short I drove 31 hours, arriving safely in Fullerton CA about 1:30pm Friday the 14th.
After doing a couple errands, I drove to the storage center I'd reserved long distance, and unloaded the trailer, it had so much crammed in that it nearly filled a 10x15 space. Then I got the trailer to Uhaul, and turned it in, on time...
Then I took the truck and drove around looking for a motel, I was exausted and in desperate need of a shower. It was dark, I had no taillights or turn signals, and although there'd been a motel or several at almost every exit from NY to Calif, suddenly I found none. Finally going south on Beach Blvd in Buena Park I spotted something called the Covered Wagon on a side street, so I went around the block. I passed a house with 3 or 4 police cars and was very aware of my lack of lights, but figured they were busy enough they wouldn't notice me. Finally I turned right and was driving down a street, seeing the Covered Wagon sign ahead, when who pulls up next to me? A Buena Park cop, I saw him look at the back of the truck in the mirror, then he pulled up and looked at me, I slowed down and turned in to what I thought was the Covered Wagon place, and the cop pulled off. I was actually in a Super 8 motel, but didn't realize it until the next day. I registered, took a shower, badly needed, and got much needed sleep.
The next day I rented a Camry from a car rental place across from Disneyland on Harbor Blvd. When the guy came to pick me up to go back and do the paperwork, he asked why I was here. I explained that I sold Rascal scooters to VA hospitals, and had come out to take over a territory. He mentioned that he had seen several scooters that a company down the street rented to tourists tip over in the crosswalk. I immediately started telling him about our new three wheeler and that so far it was impossible to tip. To make a long story short, he was the owner of the rental co. and told me he'd be interested in buying some scooters, to rent out. In addition he referred me to the owner of the other company, a medical supply company, currently buying and renting Prides.
I spent the rest of the week, looking for and buying a vehicle and an office. I looked at several vans and dozens of warehouse office combos, buying or renting none, either not right or too expensive. But finally on Friday, I bought an Escort to get me around until I need a van, the price and 25 mpg made it very attractive, and it was in excellent condition too. The same day I rented an office in Fullerton, no warehouse, just an office. But again it was priced right and will work until sales volume says I need a bigger space.
So here I am now, on my 8th day in Calif. getting ready to empty the truck, and set up the office. Then I start making sales and moving Rascals, also I found out on Friday that Disneyland has and rents scooters, and I'm sure safety is important to them too.

This is from yesterday, Sunday when the disaster struck:

Went Sunday am to start moving into new office, and my truck was gone. The cops think towed for some reason, even though I had every right to park it there as a new tenant. I'm afraid it was stolen, containing virtually everything I own that wasn't in the trailer and now in storage. Have to track down the license number for the police.


This one is from Monday:
Well, my first week in California was a doozy, first time I've ever been robbed and not only lost the truck, but everything in it. A large part of everything I own, make that owned, tools, clothes, guitars, books, on and on. It's a tramatic experience. Today I talked to the police, little hope or encouragement there. Then I spoke to my new landlord, she was very nice, I explained that I don't feel safe there, not even moved in yet and the truck and everything in it stolen. She ok'd cancelling the lease and refunding my money. So I start over. I still have some good leads for scooters, and asked Rascal to send the demo so I can get started.

It seems that it should be a goldmine out here. Great weather most of the year, lots of people, lots of people that need scooters or mobility equipment. I think the best way to look at my experience is as a test to see if I'm up to the challenge. All my friends say probably the cops will find the truck. I say yeah, empty and trashed. So I focus on moving forward, everything is gone, lost, whatever, and I'm moving forward, not back. I'll sell so many scooters, etc., that I'll need two trucks next time.

It sure makes you wonder. Makes you wonder about Karma, makes you wonder about destiny. For instance, was it my destiny to stay in New York and whoever or whatever is using the loss of my possessions to let me know? Or, should I have stayed in Calif and not gone to NY in the first place? Or, is it my destiny to own less? Perhaps by aquiring all these things I strayed? It was obviously my destiny to be robbed. Did I do, or not do something and the punishment is the loss of my things? Or, the reverse, perhaps I had too many things, they were dragging me down, and the reward is the loss?  I've been told I love my things too much. I don't think it's true, but I am aware of what went into the aquisition, and what it would take to replace them. Maybe I do like things, especially books, I don't know.  I do think most of us have too many things, myself included.
The theory pertaining to rebirth is that prior to each incarnation we assemble a cast of the players large and small that will join us in that life, and we plan in detail, or to continue the previous metaphor we script the coming life. Some teach that each life is completely pre-destined with no deviation allowed. Others say that free will is key, the script is a guide, but that it's not inviolable, we can and do make changes on the fly as we live the life, adlibing as we go. Which is true? I don't know, nobody does really. I personally go with the adlib. That there is a general plan, but as I move along I can change direction, maybe good, maybe not.
It kind of plays into the theory of alternate history or timelines.  This is fictional, or possibly real, depending on your point of view. Alternate history or timelines as I understand it work like this, time moves in a line, the world  goes along, then something happens, say the Civil War. In the main timeline it's avoided, in another, ours, the north wins, in another the south wins. You can imagine how each alternate would change things. Another example WWII, in an alternate Germany and Japan win, can you imagine the result?  The way I understand the concept, everytime there is more than one possible result to a war, or any other major occurance, a strike, an assassinantion, an invention, anything that would create change, a new timeline, or history is created, a deviation from the existing timeline, for each possiblity. It also applies, as I understand it to individuals too. To use myself as an example in one my family never moved out of Oxford, in another we moved to Tyner but the house never burned, in another, the house burned but it was rebuilt and we didn't move to South New Berlin, in another we moved but we stayed there and didn't move to Calif., in another we moved and my father loved it and we all stayed there, in another the whole family ended back in NY as happened but I never did, in another I did move as happened but stayed there instead of returning to Calif. as I just did, on and on. Take the theft of my truck, if I'd stayed in NY, if I hadn't parked it overnight, if I'd backed it into the parking space, who knows, the reality is something completely insignificant and possibly unknown to anybody could shift history.  It makes the idea of being in the right place at the wrong time take on a new meaning.  To answer the question about karma and destiny, who knows?

Thinking About Destiny Again

Still thinking about the groundhog post the other day.
I'm constantly hearing and seeing in person, in the news, and in dramas the plantive cry that "he, she, it, went too soon." Of course our loved ones, friends and relatives would think it's too soon, no matter when we die.  Possibly the groundhog's friends and relatives are saying it went too soon, who knows?  But, it's a little shocking to see or hear "he or she went too soon," in the media, who, with few exceptions, never even heard of us, let alone met us.
What's the truth?  Is it even possible to die too soon?  I can understand that if a baby or young child dies, whatever the cause, the natural reaction is to blame ourselves, or somebody, there must be something wrong, their life had just begun after all, and they had years ahead, it's clearly too soon to lose them.  The truth is, and nobody, even me, wants to face it, that death could have happened to us at any time, from the moment of conception. Not birth, but conception is when the body is created and starts the trip to death. When the soul or spirit actually enters that body is another conversation, I think also at or soon after conception, but I could be wrong. I have heard of studies that proved children were capable of learning in the womb though.  Yes, I said children, speaking about the body growing in the womb, not fetus' or any of the other quasi-scientific names that make the murder committed by abortionists less abhorrent.
Anyway, to answer my question, I don't believe it's possible to die before your time. Your time to die may be after 100 years or 1 minute, but that's when you'll go, not one millionth of a second sooner.  Speaking from personal experience, so far, I've had several opportunities of being killed before my time, and have walked away without a scrape every time. I've said as long as I can remember that I'm not afraid of dying. It's still true, in theory.
I know we're all spirit, that goes without saying. I've said, also pretty much as long as I can remember, that for us to believe this body is who we are, ie for me to believe I'm Lee Murray and that's all, is about the same as you climbing into your car, and believing you're a Ford, or Chevy, etc.  These bodies of ours aren't real in any sense, other than that they're vehicles allowing us to exist in this level. Every level has a body, neccesary for survival in that plane, but they're all nothing more than just vehicles for the real you, the spirit. 
When I do die, I have a good idea of what happens, where I'll go, and that more than likely I'll be back, so it's not terrifying.  On the other hand, I learned recently when I had the stroke or whatever the hell it was that I'm in no rush to die. One thing that does scare me though is becoming crippled or blind. If it happens it's probably for a reason, pre-destined, and I'd deal with it, who knows I may even learn something, but avoiding that is one reason for seeing the Drs.
It's taught that each life we live is for a purpose, what it is few if any of us know, but we're always here to learn something, or to teach something. The first thought I had after saying that is, so serious, so what you're saying is we don't just come to hang out, kill some time? Sex, drugs, and Rock and Roll?  Or something similar... 
It sure seems like that's all some are here for. I suppose it's possible, maybe this world is like a time share for the astral, some of us come to serve, to fulfill a purpose, while others are on vacation, enjoying the flesh, experiencing the experience of living in this world. Anything's possible I guess, but it's not what I've been taught, and personally, while I've overall had a pretty good life, if I just came to hang out I'd like to kick the butt of the astral time share salesspirit that sold me on the idea.  It seems that lots of lives, lots of lives, are spent having and raising kids, that's it just raising kids, or so it seems. 

But the truth is, whether we spend our lives drunk, loaded, and banging anything with a heartbeat (or without), having and raising kids by the carload, working to the exclusion of anything else, winning the Pulitzer or Nobel prize, or whatever, the real reason we incarnated, the big picture, is a mystery to most, if not all, of us.
One premise that's taught is that prior to each life, we sit down with the others that are going to be with us during the life, to plan and discuss what's going to happen, birth to death. Nobody ever seems to know if it's a second by second pre-destination plan, or just a big picture with lots of room for free will type plan.  Then after death, arriving back in the astral, we sit down for a debriefing, or analysis of the life just finished. Again, nobody seems to know why.  Just to see if we passed?
Also another question, does each and every spirit, (parents, grandparents, relatives, friends, aquaintences, workmates, boyfriends, girlfriends, strangers you interact with, etc.), who's interacting with me in my life have their own plan? Are they all there just for me this time, and me for them next time? Instead are we all reincarnating together with a common goal or lesson to learn? How about the souls who're already here before our birth, older people grandfathers, grandmothers, parents?  If they're already here, living their lives, according to their destiny or plan, I can understand that my birth could be part of their plan, but when did they take part in my pre-birth meeting? It's taught that we leave our bodies and go to the astral, whenever we're unconcious or asleep, some can do it conciously. Perhaps that is when they did it?
Have you figured out yet that I'm as confused as anybody else about this?  I've studied and read about this for years and while it makes sense, at the same time it doesn't.
Another question I've brought up before, is why are our past lives in a linear time frame? At least so far as I know, they're starting in the past and moving closer to the present. If we are, in fact, spirits, coming here from a spirit plane, call it astral, or etheric, whatever, where time as we here know it doesn't exist, then why couldn't we incarnate in any time on this plane?  Time is after all a concept of this world, and probably a purely human concept at that. Cats, dogs, and cows may have a concept of time too, but I haven't asked any so I don't know.

That's enough for now I think...

Lee Murray

Whoops not the Astral plane...

What Happens Before We're Born???

Many believe, that between lives we retreat to, or start from for new souls if there are any, the Astral Plane. Prior to birth we plan what's going to happen in the upcoming life. Good things, bad things, long life, early death, rich, poor, middle class, boring or the life of the party, beautiful, ugly, sexy or not, everything is planned. Some say yes, it's all planned, pre-destined, and no deviation is possible, free will is a myth. That what we perceive as free will, is something that was planned ahead of time.  Others say that yes, there is planning, for the big picture, the broad strokes, but the details successful, unsuccessful, getting laid or not, a drunk/dope addict or a church going tightass, etc.  are the result of free will.
Along the same lines, the same entities that you know in this life, have for the most part been with you in all lives. Like a troup of actors the roles may change, but the cast remains the same.

Lee Murray