“Be still
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity”
― Lao Tzu
So much hyperbole on stillness, “Where the mind is still, it can see beyond obvious.”
Not familiar with stillness to recognize or realize the state, I have experienced small pockets of quietness, so fleeting that by the time I could grasp, the moment vanished and I was left wondering, “Did that instant even exist?”
As I drift off to sleep after a long weary day searching inside, outside for stillness, notice my mind, as it wanders to the unanswered emails in the mailbox, doctor’s appointment, parent-teacher meeting, laundry… As I search for tranquility, a million thoughts and zillion tasks run by my heavy mind. I float into the blackness, confused and edgy, the search for ‘stillness’ goes on and the task list overflows like the old women’s woes or track two diplomacy!
Should I have to go to the Himalayas for stillness? No way, I’m not getting into planning that one! Need to look for it in the underbelly of my busy schedule. I’m sure under the old books, among the daily tasks, around the toppling files and beneath the dirty linen; it is there; hidden, still and sane.
Well, I surrendered to my reality, a maze of deliverables and things that went right, chores that went bad. As I accepted the reality and slowly breathed, gently felt the weight fall off my shoulders. A small pause, the misty quietness traversed from the corner; shy, tentative with honey touch, engulfed me and at that moment did I see the waft of peace, quietude!
“Being still does not mean don’t move. It means move in peace.”
― E’yen A. Gardner
