THE MEMORY -
This morning was interesting. I had just gotten home, turned the alarm off, kicked of my heels and let the dog outside. My normal routine. Something"out of routine" occurred. As I opened the door to let Lucy out, something compelled me to walk outside with her. Like I said before, that's not the usual. Having a fenced in home, I open the door, let her out, wait a new mins, then let her back in. This time it was different. As I walked outside and shut the door behind me, a gust of cool air blew thru my hair. I stood there, closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling that filled within me. The calm that surrounded me brought a memory of one not too long ago. It was that of when Pete was hours away from his passing. I remember sitting bedside with him feeling nothing but calm. Nothing else mattered. I wasn't scared, wasn't sad .... I was ready. Ready for his spirit to be rewarded for all the good it did here on earth. Today I was able to experience just for a moment, the same type of calm. It felt so good, I felt ready for the day. I glanced down at Lucy. Her hair tied up in a bow and blowing above her head. She stood there like me, looking straight ahead at the fence, enjoying the moment of calm. If Heaven is anything like that ..... I'll be there right next to Pete enjoying my reward.
THE APPLICATION -
I was inspired today quite early. I head off to Atlanta in just a few hours. I am going to challenge myself this afternoon to enjoy a moment of calmness at the most craziest of places ... the AIRPORT! I'm sure it won't be as easy as taking a step outside on a beautiful day, but I'm wanting to give it a try. If I can begin to train my mind to quiet and my heart to open on a regular basis no matter what my location, I believe I can improve the quality of my life. Pete led a life full of quality all the way till the end. A calmed soul is one that is ready for anything.
I'll be sure to blog again in the REFLECTION section below later today with details of my attempt to achieve this ever so desired heavenly calm.
THE REFLECTION - Part 2 of Day 3
On my way thru the airport, on a search for calm, I headed to the sky room. I found a corner by a beautiful window, closed my eyes and thought to myself ...... "ok, this is cheating" The challenge was to find calm amongst all the chaos, and the sky room didn't seem to have any. I finished my coffee, grabbed my stuff and headed down to my gate. They were already in the boarding process. I walked on the plane, sat in my seat and fell asleep. I woke up mid flight and thought to myself "I cheated AGAIN!" Sleeping on a plane doesn't count as seeking out a calm state at a loud airport..... no challenge in that. After I convinced myself I wasn't going to find a challenging enough opportunity to seek out a calm state, I then realized that the feeling of calm comes from within. Maybe I was calm the entire day? Maybe the world around me was crazy, loud and non-stop, but it didn't annoy me like it normally does. As I zeroed in on this thought, I began to hear people's conversations, a baby crying and the pilot over the speaker system. It was nuts aboard Delta flight# 2318 but in seat 23A, it was calm.
Before I ran out of the house to catch my flight, I grabbed a book I just recently started called "How To Practice - The Way to a Meaningful Life" written by the Dalai Lama himself. I picked up where I left off about a week ago and began to read. I almost fell out of my seat when I read the words " Calm Abiding ( concentrated meditation ). Be calm even when the external environment around you is confused or complicated; it will have little effect if your mind is at peace". I then closed the book, put it aside and enjoyed the rest of the flight in a concentrated meditation.
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