Stillness

You know those movies, where there are old folks sitting on their rockers, outside on the porch; they are rocking slowly back and forth, or not, they are chatting, or not, they are simply still. They have no where else to be, and nothing else to do in that moment, but exactly what they are doing. It's a feeling more than anything. It is the willingness to be still.

That kind of stillness is foreign in today's world. It feels like hurry, hurry, hurry, get up, get going, get to the next task - and everything is alotted its slot: get up brush your teeth, take a shower, get dressed, get the kids up, get them dressed, get them fed, feed yourself, get out the door, get to work...and the list doesn't end until you fall into bed.

What happened to stillness? It is MIA! Have we become so terrified of it that we can't stand it, even for a moment?

How about sitting still? How about savoring the moment? What would it be like to linger in the rocker on the porch with nothing better to do than watch the passage of time for a while, or to have a conversation with a loved one, with no agenda other than to share and no place to go other than where you are right now?

It's almost unimaginable. Even in a situation of forced stillness, it is hard for us to be still; we become nervous and upset; we resist the moment by fretting about everything we need to do. If there is no electricity, we are not considering how best to enjoy the specialness of the moment, it becomes a burdensome inconvenience, instead of an opportunity for adventure, originality and creativity. If we are stuck in traffic, we are worrying about the things are are trying to get to - home to make dinner, school to pick up kids, yoga class to relax. Yes, even relaxing has become stressful!

Stillness is like the food of life, it fills us up with energy and gives us the strength to keep up with that huge and seemingly endless list of tasks we have to do. As suggested by Stephen Covey, Martha Beck and undoubtedly many others, do what you have to do (urgent and important things) and make time for the important and unurgent things. And to do this - get rid of all the 'unimportant urgent' and 'unurgent unimportant' things that fill up our days ad nauseum.

The urgent and important things are a given - you have to eat, you have to work, you have to take care of your children, etc. The important and unurgent things are the tank refillers - they are what make you tick, the things that make you happy. All the rest - reduce them to a strict minimum - less than 30 mins a day. Use that time, instead, to cultivate stillness and to appreciate and enjoy the things you are really passionate about.

Find out how enjoyable life can be again. Make time for stillness. Stop what you are doing and breathe. Sit and watch the moon rise. Sit until the frenzied list of things you have to do recedes from your brain and you can come to the full experience of the moment.

Blessings.
- Darshan

© 2008 Darshan F Jessop