A chessboard awaits potential players in an Oakland park, originally uploaded by yaznotjaz.

“Are you happy, Yasminay?” asked HijabMan the other day through GMail chat [apparently the best/only way to get ahold of me these days – since I suck at returning people’s phone calls and replying to their emails and I can’t be bothered to sign onto instant messenger anymore – even though my GMail status is perpetually set on the red “busy” symbol; shhh, it’s a lie].

“I’m always happy,” I replied blithely. “What’ve I got to complain about?” And it’s the truth. [Never mind the fact that friends calling me “Yasminay” would already be pretty high up there in terms of warm, fuzzy, happiness-inducing stuff, if there were a hierarchy of happiness.] I have a couple of thanks+giving related posts marinating in my mind, and there’s a someday-forthcoming post on happiness that I wrote years ago and never shared. But meanwhile, yes, I’m happy, and there are days when I glance around and all I want to do is give God a big ol’ highfive.

I think I already have quite a nice track record of blasphemy, so highfives to God shouldn’t disconcert all y’all too much. Anyway, there are days when I’m driving along and the sunshine slants through my windows onto my face just so and my hands on the steering wheel feel warm and I’m wearing my favorite pair of flared jeans and the music is rockingloud and the sunroof is open and I’m going to go meet friends who make me laugh until my stomach hurts, and life is just simply, perfectly good. And I think, “God, You are the rockingest rockstar ever.”

God of rock, indeed. I dream that someday when I finally meet Him face-to-Face, He will smile to hear that I always knew He had a sense of humor.

Driving back to the office from a meeting a couple of weeks ago, two songs playing in rapid succession reminded me of the psychopathic maniac/nerd child SS, which in turn reminded me of our mutual buddy, Mark, and the fact that I needed to email both of them. It had been far too long.

Back at the office, I turned on my computer and logged into my personal email. And there, at the very top of my inbox, was an email from Mark with the subject line stating simply, “Hafiz.” How could I not laugh? God, He reads my mind so well.

Here is the beautiful poem by Hafiz, sent by Mark-of-the-multiple-exclamation-points:

Chessboard (ii)
Originally uploaded by yaznotjaz.

What is the difference
Between your experience of Existence
And that of a saint?
The saint knows
That the spiritual path
Is a sublime chess game with God
And that the Beloved
Has just made such a Fantastic Move
That the saint is now continually
Tripping over Joy
And bursting out in Laughter
And saying, “I Surrender!”
Whereas, my dear,
I am afraid you still think
You have a thousand serious moves.