I just heard an NPR piece about Michael Morton who after spending 25 years in jail for killing his wife was finally released because of DNA evidence. He had written his wife a note saying how sad he was that she wouldn’t have sex with him on his birthday and based on that piece of paper stuck to a mirror the prosecution painted an ugly picture of a killer. The police and prosecution where so convinced of his guilt that they didn’t investigate evidence left behind my the real killer. The story in it’s entirety is here. What disturbs me most about this story is that it could happen to anyone. I can definitely see myself being at the wrong place at the wrong time. In the same way, accidents can happen. Dearest Husband and I watched The Descendants last night. It’s about how a family deals with a tragic accident befalling the wife/mother. At anytime something could happen whether it be a terrible mistake or a crazy coincidence. And let’s face it–sooner or later everyone experiences hardships. A friend of mine was recently pulled over for speeding. After talking with the officer and receiving a ticket she learned that the officer felt that she shouldn’t be driving and her license was suspended. She was a little shaken up about being pulled over and my guess is that the officer thought she was too old to be driving. She’s an incredibly vibrant person and I can’t imagine how anyone would question her abilities but for that officer at that particular moment something was amiss. I guess my point is that things happen and what really matters is how we deal with it. One of the reasons I practice this Buddhism is because I want to be in rhythm with the universe at all those critical moments. I want to have good responses and make good decisions. I admit that my basic nature is to make stupid split decisions. I think of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo as putting money in the bank of acting intelligently. Next time I need to make a withdrawal I will be calm and have my wits about me.