Lots to be said about meditation, right? It’s been proven to enhance our ability to focus and to create that state of mindfulness we are so sorely lacking as we navigate days filled with the constant, relentless, bombardment of stuff begging for our attention.
Most people can’t find the time, or the peace and quiet, to meditate. Some, like me for instance, try and often fail. Well, give up is more like it. You can’t really fail at meditation. Sometimes you may do better than others in quieting the incessant thoughts, but even when you don’t, it’s not a failure. Sometimes I simply allow my frustration to take over and then stop.
So, I’ve found other things that bring me back to the present moment, and they are easy and often more pleasing than my meditation attempts. I listen to sounds. And there are some that I love so much they move everything else, every noise and every thought, to the background. And so I seek out those sounds.
For me, it’s the sound of my pen scratching on paper when I journal in the mornings. It’s the crinkly sound of paper that’s been written on. The sound of gravel crunching beneath my feet on walks with my dog. The ticking of a clock in a quiet house. The honking of geese as they fly overhead. A babbling brook. A train horn in the distance. Ocean waves crashing on the beach. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…oops, just kidding about the raindrops and whiskers, although they are some of my favorite things!
It’s the sounds though. They dampen the noise because they direct my focus the moment the sound registers. To now. This moment. Here. These sounds do for me what snowfall does in winter. It muffles all the other noises going on around me and inside me.
We live in a world of distractions. Everything and everyone vying for our attention. It is chaotic and noisy and unrelenting and, oftentimes, just plain frustrating. And if it’s not outside noise, it’s our other constant companion – our monkey-minds. We roll things around in our heads, relive the past, fear the future, overthink every little thing we’ve said or done, or should say or do. But if we can choose to shut some of it out, even for just a moment here or there? Why not try?
Peace and contentment come from within. There is nothing outside of you that can provide it. You give it to yourself, or you don’t. It is always your choice. Find what works to slow down the pace and will allow you to focus on moment – with mediation, or sounds, or perhaps just finding a quiet spot to commune with nature. Find what soothes your soul and do that. Now is the only time we have, the present moment, and I believe it to be in our best interest – emotionally, intellectually, physically – to create more of those quiet moments to savor.
~jwb~
