B: The B You Accept Or The B You Reject? *

The Wishbone Alphabet – an experiment, of course, with attitude, life and the eponymous soup. 

In this refreshing bit of didacticism, B represents the grade of life you have attained and A the grade of life you are assumed to aspire to. Algebra of the soul isn’t about being academically gifted. It’s about how you deal with the lack of sparkling perfection in your life.

Having an image of perfection can be inspiring. If it’s a model of guidance it remains something to encourage us whether we achieve it or not. For example, I doubt I could be a monk, but the Dalai Llama says things that help me make decent decisions about how to live. This model says, B is acceptable, and, most importantly of all, it’s your B, enjoy it.

If perfection is a model of judgement, it splits your world into succeed or fail. For example, is my bathroom clean?

I don’t take the judgement model too seriously, hence the state of my bathroom.

If I could wave a magic wand of achievement (let’s B honest) there would be some material improvements made, including a nicer place to have a bath. 

Without the wand, in order to achieve material stuff, like the big house, shiny car, flashy wardrobe and gleaming lavatory, there was too much to sacrifice, like spending time with my children and being able to walk around these muddy fields, watching the apples grow. And the more I accept this, the more I feel like one of the privileged, balanced few.

*Never confuse this with ‘The BS You Regret, or the BS You Accept.’