Stillness
Ever just want to escape? Away from your cell phone, Blackberry, computer, television, radio, anything and everything that connects you to the outside world?
One of the ways I escape is to ride my bike at 6 AM, up the hill to the Observatory. There is no noise except for the cawing of the crows, the sound of my bike chains and my heavy breathing. The silence wraps around me like a hug from my mother, and envelopes me into this space of clarity.
Another favorite is after laundry day. The bed sheets are crisp and smell like Tide. It will be mid-afternoon, and I will crawl under the puffy duvet, and pull the covers up to my chin. It is a luxury to lay there when everyone else is working, I will submerge myself further under the cover with a smile that says "You can't find me here". I can hear my breathing and the sound of my feet whisk at the sheets. In this cocoon I can think and emerge with ideas as wings.
To be "present" we have to stay connected at all times, we listen for the email ping, the vibration of the phone and parry the multiple online chats. We stay so connected that we loose our tethering to ourselves . I am connected to you and you and you, but I am floating unanchored because I don't make time to ground myself in the stillness.
Disconnect once in a while, it will be the only way you will remain on the ground.
Credit: This post was inspired by my friend Derrick Jefferson, we spoke about the anniversary of his beloved mother's passing next week and the smell of Tide. As all conversations go with friends, we manage to cover everything from the important to the mundane because we are able to navigate through life with each other as the other's anchor.
Image: Ophelia Chong / My Love Is Waiting
