Tuesday ~ June 22, 1999

Contemplating Calmness

I'm looking at the word "calmness" and I'm surprised that it looks so strange.   You know,  when a word that you are all too familiar with suddenly looks like a foreign word,  or it just doesn't look like it's spelled right so you check its spelling in the dictionary?

Zen forces us to think this way,  to not take anything for granted,  to always look at things,  at life,  in a new and refreshing way.

The old saying,  "familiarity breeds contempt" is an all too familiar saying,  but...   then again it isn't.   It depends on how you look at it.
 
 

The meaning of calmness is very clear in my mind,  and everytime I hear the word "calmness" it seems to settle me down right away.   "Calmness" can be a powerful word and so tonight I hone in on the word and chant it to myself as if it were a mantra.

Calmness...

Calmness...

Calmness...

The shores of Torrey Pines near Del Mar have always been a place for me to reflect and enjoy the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.   This scene definitely calms me,  and I feel a sense of peace and serenity whenever I stroll along the beach,  with the ocean to one side and the cliffs to the other.   I haven't been there in a while and it's ashame because it's not that far from where I live,  but I know I'll have to go there sometime soon.   I can feel a need to go there,  as if to return to some religious pilgrimage.

It's now Summer,  and I need to get outside more,  into the fresh air,  the sun's rays,  the ocean air,  and just be with nature.  It's something I desperately need to do right now.