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Today's
quotation:
There
is a rhythm in life, a certain beauty which
operates by a
variation
of lights and shadows,
happiness alternating
with sorrow, content with discontent, distilling
in this
process of contrast a sense of satisfaction,
of richness
that can be captured and pinned down only
by those who
possess the gift of awareness.
Louis
Bromfield
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Today's
Meditation:
It's
sometimes difficult to be very aware of all that's around
us. Most of us are never taught how to pay attention
to our surroundings, except for the things that seem most
immediate to us. If our attention is on getting to
the car because we need to go somewhere, it's very easy to
miss the birds singing and the fresh breeze, especially if
we're in a "hurry." If we're talking to
someone else and our focus is on them and what they're
saying (or on what we're planning to say), it's easy not to
be tuned in to the other people and animals that are all
around us.
The
world is constantly giving us a show, a rhythm, but most
of us are constantly missing it. This show is deep
and rich and fascinating, and it would be a wonderful
addition to our lives if we were to be able to make it
so. But to be aware of the bigger picture, we have
to start by becoming aware of the smaller things like our
breathing, our heartbeat, the current air temperature, the
ways that we feel at the moment. This is why people
who meditate so often seem to be much more at peace, for
they've become aware of the cosmic dance, and they're able
to accept it simply because they're aware of it.
One
trick that I use regularly when I'm caught up in being
caught up in something is to ask myself "What else is
here?" If I'm talking to a friend in a cafe,
I'll make sure that I look around and see what's
surrounding me instead of ignoring it. There are
plenty of chances to do so without being rude to my
friend, and the benefits are always worth it.
Sometimes if I'm eating something, I ask myself where it
came from-- the farmer who grew the wheat, the workers who
harvested it, those who ground it to flour, those who
transported it to a place where they turned the flour to
bread. . . etc., etc., etc. Thus I stay much more
aware of the cycles of life, and my small place in them.
Being
aware does take effort, and sometimes the benefits of that
effort aren't immediately apparent. But if a fire
does break out, I want to be with the person who knows
where the fire extinguishers are. And if the birds
are singing, I want to be the person who notices it and
enjoys their song. My awareness doesn't make my life
richer-- it simply allows me to recognize the richness
that's all around me, all the time.
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