"For children, wonderment grows in the soil of surprise. It is all about our capacity to receive. A capacity not yet obstructed or clogged." Terry Hershey
In my last blog post I was talking about the importance of "being present to the present" and I would like to expand on why I find this so hard to do. Maybe this quote above gives us a clue. It speaks to the importance of having the "capacity to receive". To receive something I need to have room to receive it. I need some space or capacity to be filled. I can not fill a glass with water if it is already full of water.
I know for me, I am least present to the present when I am preoccupied with "stuff". I have a tendency to grip tightly to stuff I find interesting and important (at least in the moment). I can be hyper-focused at times and will fill my head with the next thing to do or get done. I love learning and thinking about the latest advances in technology or talking about what is the next "big thing" coming in the future. I am what is referred to as a "enthusiastic visionary". I am always on the lookout for the next cool thing. I love to talk with others about it and make connections and learn what they might know on this subject. This can be my "happy place" and it feeds my mind.
So, you can see how easy it can be for me to not be present to the present moments when I am going so fast and my mind is so "preoccupied". How can I notice anything around me then? I am always on the way to something else. I am not in the present moment. So, what to do?
Here is a little story I want to share now that I think speaks to this problem and a possible solution.
"An American traveler planned a long safari to Africa. He was a compulsive man, loaded down with maps, timetables, and agendas. Men from a local tribe had been engaged to carry the cumbersome load of supplies, luggage and "essential stuff."
On the first morning, they all woke very early and traveled very fast and went very far. On the second morning, they all woke very early and traveled very fast and went very far. On the third morning, they all woke very early and traveled very fast and went very far. And the American seemed pleased. On the fourth morning, the tribesmen refused to move. They simply sat by a tree. The American became incensed. "This is a waste of valuable time. Can someone tell me what is going on here?"
The translator answered, "They are waiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies."
Wow, does this not get to the point! How can we have room or capacity to notice or observe any of the passing moments. We must hit the "pause button" and refuse to move like the local tribesmen. We need time for our souls to catch up with our bodies! We need time to contemplate.
Slowing down or hitting the "pause button" gives us time to contemplate. To contemplate means to observe carefully, to pay close attention. When I am "preoccupied" there is no way I can be contemplative it seems. Those extraordinary ordinary moments will be missed for there is no room or capacity to receive them. I miss what is right in front of me and sometimes what I miss might even be breathtaking!
“Our life experience will equal what we have paid attention to whether by choice or default.” William James
I am afraid all too often I have not hit the "pause button" enough so I can be more attentive to the present moments. I am not awake but on default mode which is to fill my head with more and more things that are grabbing my attention. This is not good for me and so I have made a conscious choice to be faithful to cultivating a contemplative practice everyday. If you will, it is my "pause button" I hit every morning. I have been doing it now for a couple of years and I found that it has provided time for my "soul to catch up with my body".
Now as I mentioned, my mind is very active and always on the move so hitting the "pause button" is not natural in any way, shape or form. I had to learn how to do it from others because it was foreign to me but I was interested enough to give it a try. I have taken lots of different classes and read a lot of books on the subject of contemplative meditation. I have experimented with different forms and types to try and figure out what was a good fit for me. I started creating my own "custom nature meditations" from nature sounds I began recording when I was out in nature. This worked for me. I love seeking out unique and different sounds of in nature (birds singing, rivers, creeks, waterfalls, ocean beach waves, etc). I experimented with different lengths of time. I started out with 5 minutes a day and that was all I felt I could do. Yet, as I become more practiced and experienced some of the benefits. I wanted to do more. Today am doing 10 minutes an it has been easy for me so I am planning to try 15 minutes next.
So, what are the benefits that I have experienced? I would say it creates space or room within me. This contemplative experience creates within me a bare clean canvas so when I start my day, I have a space to paint the "enchanting everyday" moments that come that day. I have found I am more "present to the present moments" because I have created the capacity to receive them. I discovered I am more open and childlike in some ways to the discovery of the everyday little things I just never noticed before.
This past year spring and summer I had the chance to hike once a week. Every week was a chance to be "surprised the wonder of creation". I was fully alive and awake to everything I encountered. The wildflowers, the creeks, rivers, waterfalls and lakes came alive for me. I found myself even skipping down some of the trails or dunking my head under waterfalls or jumping into cold mountain lakes. I just was fully engaged and alive! I have found being fully present to the present, has its own rewards!
If your interested in trying my latest 10 minute nature meditation, you welcome to try the one I created a month or so ago from a hike to Gothic Basin. You will hear the sound of the thrushes singing and a waterfall just around the bend in the trail. At the beginning of the mediation, I have added a short 2 1/2 minute instruction to get me ready (a teaching by Fr Richard Rohr on a technique called the "boat exercise" and then you will hear from James Finley who helps me get ready for my silent time).
Enjoy and I hope you find your own way to hit the "pause button" everyday!
John
Sword Patterns
I thought you might like to see a recent image I created from a photograph taken during my hike to Gothic Basin. I love the creative post processing technique for it gives me great joy!
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