Moving Slowly in a Fast-paced World
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 1:46 PM The man I share a table with at the airport café snacks on an oversized cookie, takes a quick swig from his paper-cupped coffee with eyes glued to his computer and a cell phone juggled under his chin. Across the way, a mother loudly chastises her young child for dropping muffin crumbs on the ground. She scowls at her spouse and shoos him away to get more napkins as she smoothes her own perfectly coiffed appearance. Outside in the concourse, people rush at (and by) me like flying grains of wheat released from an overflowing silo.
Stop. Slow down. Breathe. I resist the impulse to snarf down my scrambled eggs to meet the fast pace that attempts to envelop me. Slowly and with intention, I butter my fluffy biscuit and spread it with jam from a plastic container. Inhale. Exhale. Pause. It will take every ounce of mindfulness I’ve cultivated over the past ten days to simply make my way through this airport.
Breakfast nearly fini
shed, I am reminded of my fellow retreatants and the quiet presence we observed with each other throughout our days together. Most of them are still at the meditation center having just practiced Qi Gong followed by a peaceful 'sit' as the sun makes its way into the sky. I will miss this community and I am grateful and excited to be returning home.
Re-entry is tricky. Seated on the plane, I close my eyes and attempt to find some solitude or at least a peaceful moment. Instead piped-in pop rock fills the cabin alongside the snaps of closing overhead luggage bins and chattering travelers. The noise resonates as cacophony to my stilled mind. I am reminded of the answer to a question posed at the retreat... When is it not appropriate to practice meditation? Followed by the somewhat flip answer of our comedic instructor... When the television is on!
In this moment, it feels like the television is definitely on and the volume has been turned to high with several channels blaring all at once. Yikes! I am experiencing sensory overload. In self defense, I open my eyes and return to being still without succumbing to my senses becoming flooded.
Finally the music is turned off, all the bins are filled, and every passenger is seated. The overall volume settles to a tolerable level. My eyes close and my mind begins to ponder how I will go about living in the days and weeks ahead.
I relish the stillness. My heart desires to be present and true. The fast-paced bustle is insidious in our culture and oh so challenging to navigate. I am reminded of the quote that found me ultimately before I even left on my trip and yet resonated throughout my retreat as I followed the inner trails of my mind and scrambled over the outer hillsides of Spirit Rock.
“... go (instead) where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Perhaps my “trail” is to bring a measure of stillness into an over-stimulated world. Who knows? What I do know is that when I begin to feel scattered or overwhelmed or even numb from too much stimulus, peace is only a breath away... and slowly I move toward it.
Pause. Be still. Inhale. Exhale. Deeply.
(written while returning from a 10-day silent meditation retreat)
Reader Comments (1)
Once again you are leading me on my path. I will be at Spirit Rock this Saturday 11/10 for a day class on Meditation and the inner critic. Thank you for allowing me to discover Spirit Rock, only a short drive from my office; yet unknown to me.