Still
Take time to be still.
This requires more than resting. It means more than relaxation. Being still requires a concentrated and concerted effort to find a place of peace. Being still is a close cousin to meditation. Sometimes meditation in more akin to contemplation where we quiet our bodies and our minds allowing for a more free flow of thought as we seek answers to our deepest questions.
I have richly benefitted from insights gained through quiet contemplation practiced by Spanish mystics like San Juan de la Cruz, Teresa de Jesús and Fray Luis de León. There have been many others who have shared a greater light and understanding through their journeys toward a brighter knowledge. Some are well known, but many avoid the stimulation of fame and share their wisdom in intimate communion amongst friends.
The contradictory experience remains a feat that I strive to replicate. I have found a pure and overwhelming ecstasy in the midst of an all-encompassing peace. The two states seem as incompatible polar opposites, yet there exists a place where they join in harmonious coexistence. I lack any need or desire to know how that can be but I strive to get there more frequently, as I know that afterward I am more able to enrich my friends.
I do not always succeed. To be sure, I rarely achieve that space. But a common step on that journey has been the place of peace found by simply being still. Take a moment to become aware of all that is around you, of all that is inside of you. I am no mathematician, but I compare myself to a segment on a line. Because of infinite distance I can never conceive of an entire line, but I might just be able to contemplate everything on a segment.
As I focus and begin to identify, one by one, all the physical stimuli, emotional charges, persistent memory, and intellectual doubts, I gradually find myself in a place of comfort. Even ongoing unresolved difficulties become finite and reveal hidden manageability. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to my being still happens at this moment, this moment of quiet control and clarity, because my body usually chooses that moment to fall asleep. Then when I awake, while rested and confident, I missed the chance to be still. And if I manage to stay awake, I frequently take the opportunity to resolve one of those nagging issues by recognizing previously unseen paths that will lead to resolutions.
But when I do I am convinced of miracles. This place; it exists. It is a non-rippled lake where falling rocks do not disturb the tranquility. It is a brilliant light that illuminates without blinding. It is the warmth of a blanket that cools you to a perfect temperature on a hot summer day. It is lemonade that warms your soul as you watch the snow fall. There is a space where we can experience pure peace.
Take the time to be still.
This requires more than resting. It means more than relaxation. Being still requires a concentrated and concerted effort to find a place of peace. Being still is a close cousin to meditation. Sometimes meditation in more akin to contemplation where we quiet our bodies and our minds allowing for a more free flow of thought as we seek answers to our deepest questions.
I have richly benefitted from insights gained through quiet contemplation practiced by Spanish mystics like San Juan de la Cruz, Teresa de Jesús and Fray Luis de León. There have been many others who have shared a greater light and understanding through their journeys toward a brighter knowledge. Some are well known, but many avoid the stimulation of fame and share their wisdom in intimate communion amongst friends.
The contradictory experience remains a feat that I strive to replicate. I have found a pure and overwhelming ecstasy in the midst of an all-encompassing peace. The two states seem as incompatible polar opposites, yet there exists a place where they join in harmonious coexistence. I lack any need or desire to know how that can be but I strive to get there more frequently, as I know that afterward I am more able to enrich my friends.
I do not always succeed. To be sure, I rarely achieve that space. But a common step on that journey has been the place of peace found by simply being still. Take a moment to become aware of all that is around you, of all that is inside of you. I am no mathematician, but I compare myself to a segment on a line. Because of infinite distance I can never conceive of an entire line, but I might just be able to contemplate everything on a segment.
As I focus and begin to identify, one by one, all the physical stimuli, emotional charges, persistent memory, and intellectual doubts, I gradually find myself in a place of comfort. Even ongoing unresolved difficulties become finite and reveal hidden manageability. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to my being still happens at this moment, this moment of quiet control and clarity, because my body usually chooses that moment to fall asleep. Then when I awake, while rested and confident, I missed the chance to be still. And if I manage to stay awake, I frequently take the opportunity to resolve one of those nagging issues by recognizing previously unseen paths that will lead to resolutions.
But when I do I am convinced of miracles. This place; it exists. It is a non-rippled lake where falling rocks do not disturb the tranquility. It is a brilliant light that illuminates without blinding. It is the warmth of a blanket that cools you to a perfect temperature on a hot summer day. It is lemonade that warms your soul as you watch the snow fall. There is a space where we can experience pure peace.
Take the time to be still.
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