" Quiet ... "

I am heading for a time of quiet

When my restlessness is past

And I can lie down on my blanket

And release my fists at last

I am heading for a time of solitude

Of peace without illusions

When the perfect circle

Marries all beginnings and conclusions

~ Paul Simon ~ Quiet ~ 

***

Why is it so hard to find peace and joy, continuously oveflow with bliss on a daily basis and seem free of problems and emotional pain?  Maybe because we mentally punish ourselves for failing, concluding that we don’t deserve it.  We can become easily distracted by the harsh demands of modern life and at times losing touch with our natural state of being.  But we do deserve it and there is a way if we choose to bring clarity in our lives, starting by quieting our minds.

You see, most of our problems stem from our mind.  Take note ... some external even happens, we choose to see only one side of the story, and then interpret the situation such that it cuases some form of mental conflict, resulting in emotional suffering.  Is that about right?  The advice telling us to just “forget about it” is not that simple.  After years and years of conditioning on how to attract conflict in our lives, to just “stop thinking about it” is not very effective.  We need to get to the root of the problem to truly solve it.  We need to go to our innner space and de-clutter.  Imagine if you will, like cleaning out an old closet of “stuff”, similar analogy.

And, our mind has a difficult time becoming still ... it is meant to be dynamic, move and participate.  Therefore practicing stillness, or meditation, where you focus on one thing can be tougher than one realizes.  You will probably notice that the moment you become silent, random and unrelated thoughts start to distract you from your inner silence.  You become cluttered with useless information also known as junk.  And where does this “junk” come from .... well we may be unconsciously feeding our selves with distractions we’ve declared as urgent and important .. watching TV, updating social media, checking email, gossip ... all pulling at us, at our attention and away from things that are truly important to us.  Recognize that the information we expose ourselves to fills our inner space on some level, and affects our emotions and desires.

Our ultimate desire is to get back to our inner selves, one which is sacred, wise, peaceful and eternal.  We can do this by waking up and taking control of our destiny ... start with what you focus on and allow into your life.  Observe your thoughts and words.  Limit your exposure to the “urgent and important” distractions.  You have the power to decide what you let into your inner space.  Be conscious of what you allow inside, beginning with your own words, thoughts and attention and become the guardian of your own mind.  

"Roam ... "

"roam if you want to 
roam around the world
roam if you want to
without wings, without wheels
roam if you want to
roam around the world
roam if you want to
without anything but the love we feel"

~ The B-52s ~ Roam ~

***

Recently, I came across a great article about "the cost of Roaming" ~ The compulsive checking of messages, staying connected because we are afraid of missing out, or answering a late-night work email because it makes us feel needed.  This can be powerful distractions from knowing ourselves.  I realized that prior to my diagnosis, that was me.  I worked hard, very hard and took pride in telling others " I am sooo busy, I work 60 hour weeks, etc...".  I always seemed connected to some form of technology.  And all of my gadgets and tech toys tempted me with endless stimuli that invited my attention to go off in a million scattered directions at once.  If you need to get a hold of me, no worries, just try my hand held device, or my laptop, or my pager or my .... and it goes on.  

We can avoid the roaming charge or "the emotional or psychic cost connected with the distraction and expectation associated with that phone, wherever and whenever it might be ringing - by remaining as attuned to your inner technologies as you are to your outer ones".  It can be a challenge to maintain inner calm in a world of constant connection, yet I have had the opportunity to practice perfect this during my therapy and it has been essential for my well-being.  Wisdom practices such as yoga and meditation, have allowed me to set matters aside, cut myself loose from my ego, and experience freedom from external affirmations and influences ... like breaking free from rapid-fire tweet and measuring my popularity from facebook likes ~ yes, we don't need our smartphones to discover nirvana, what a relief!

It definitely takes discipline ... we all have the urge to just check that email or message ... but introspective wisdom practices will result in higher productivity, greater inspiration, and increased creativity.  It allows us to maintain presence and inner connection in a world designed to pull us in every waking moment outside of ourselves.  We can live with the latest technology and still have a connected inner life.  Perhaps next time let your voicemail take that call, let your email go unanswered and evaluate your relationship with technology instead of blaming it when you feel distracted.  Feel the shift as it may be the next new wave of inner technology you may just be looking for.