There are times (like yesterday) when the sky is blue and the leaves on the trees are as green as they can be. The roads are free from congestion and the upstate drive is calm and soothing. The scene is pastoral and calm to say the least.
There are times when although everything else has gone crazy, the world has gone mad, life took a turn, and although the normal routine has been interrupted by politics and the threat of a virus (not sure which is worse, by the way) still, the world is really a beautiful place.
There are times when the heart is heavy. There are times when pain comes and redesigns the way we interact with one another. There is loss and there is tragedy, yet still, there are still beautiful things we can discover in this world.
I like the word “Discover.”
This means to see new things and to learn. To discover means to experience something previously unknown, like say, the way a handful of white clouds can leave shadows against the green, tree-covered mountainside beneath an otherwise sunny blue sky.
To discover means to notice or to realize something. For example, when listening to a song you’ve heard at least a thousand times and somehow, you realize the words were different from what you thought. Or say, to discover something is the feeling you get when driving along and you notice a new building going up at a place that had been abandoned for years.
The best discoveries are the personal ones. Take for example, the times when we discover the ability of our body.
This is when we discover that we can do more than we originally believed. These discoveries are important. Without them we would only linger in the idea of our limitations.
There is a ledge not far up on one of the trails near my home. The mountain is not exceptionally tall but the incline to get to this ledge is mainly steep. The elevation is not too high. However, the elevation is high enough that one could look out and see the mountains below.
There is a rock formation at this ledge, which almost resembles a love-seat, as if this love-seat was placed here intentionally by the universe and made to be sat in to look at the scenery.
I remember the time I made this climb. I had never seen anything like this. I was hot and sweaty. The air was humid and thick. I was overweight and breathing heavy.
As soon as I made the ledge, I looked out to see the view, which was perfect. I wondered if any artist of our history has been able to create this view with a paintbrush
I thought about artists like Kinkade. I thought about Rembrandt and Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, and as famous as they are, I wonder if any of them could possibly duplicate such a beautiful scene.
I tell you this was perfect.
Once I was here, I forgot about the climb. I forgot about the heat. I forgot about literally everything because from up there, everything was beautiful. The fact that I made this climb was beautiful. The fact that my body defied my mental disbelief that I “Couldn’t” do it was amazing. I discovered more about my ability and that physical ability is able to surpass emotional limitations.
There are ideas we have that limit us from reaching our potential. There are thoughts that come along, which we cling to like a magnet, yet, they do no justice. We hold pain as if it were the only thing we have. We hold onto doubt and despair as if it were the only thing we can grab. We hold these injustices in our mind and we allow them to chain us to doubt and disbelief.
Envision a drive, if you will. Think of someplace like say, on the side of a mountain while driving along in one of the Hawaiian Islands. The road is rounding corners and tracing the coastline. The ocean is to the left of you and land is to the right. This is a perfect drive.
The sky is perfect and so is the weather. As you drive, you go through a tunnel. You can see the light at the other end. You drive through and reach the other side. The tunnel is not clogged or congested with traffic. The drive is easy as you pass through.
There is no concern about the tunnel. There is no fear. There is only passing from one side to come out through the other; and when you do, you find the scene is still equally as beautiful. This is what happens when we allow thoughts to pass instead of clinging to them.
This is what it feels like to discover that thoughts are just thoughts; meanwhile, if we chose to allow them to pass, we could move through them without issue.
The struggle comes when we notice our thoughts and we interact with them. This is when the ideas multiply.
Instead, if we learn ways to allow our thoughts to happen and pass without dissecting them; we can discover new ways to move forward without being bogged down with overthinking and emotional complications.
I get it though. I tend to complicate things from time to time. I think too much. I second guess myself.
Instead, what works better is to discover ways to distract me from unnecessary ideas and discover ways that I can prove my ability by taking a step and moving forward.
Yesterday was beautiful enough to create a perfect distraction. And here I am now, at the birth of today. It is just a little past sunup, which means I made it through a tough time. This means I am capable. This means I can always make it through so long as I look to discover the possibilities of my ability to improve.
Discover . . .
I love that word. Don’t you?
The Written Addiction 