| Spiritual Humour |
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| I've always been jealous of people who find it easy to clear their head of thought and drift off into a trance-like state. They sit there, oblivious to everything that happens around them, in calm serenity. I often wonder if they are really that deep, that detached. I'm always drawn to the idea of tickling their feet or jabbing them in the backside with a sharpened pencil. Surely they'd move then, wouldn't they? I know it's cruel, but I feel resentful. I've tried and tried but I can't seem to quieten my thoughts enough. My head won't empty of the chitchat that fills it. I've had a crack at all sorts of methods. I've tried thinking of just a single colour, repeating it again and again in my head like a mantra - 'red, red, red...' (A little voice intrudes, singing) 'When the red, red robin comes bob, bob bobbing along...' "NO, go away!" I groan. So I settle down again and have another go - 'yellow, yellow, yellow...' 'Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree...' How sad is that? If I was going to be interrupted, why couldn't it have been Coldplay's 'Yellow'? Why is it the most irritating songs that stick in my mind? Other methods I've struggled with include breathing exercises. My first attempt made me hyperventilate and emit some terrifying honks like an asthmatic goose. On the second attempt I developed one of those strange nasal whistles; every time I exhaled I tooted the first two bars of 'London's Burning'! Next I played soothing music. Gentle and soporific melodies emanated from the soundtrack. An hour later I was jolted awake as the CD turned itself off. I'd been asleep for the duration of the music with my chin on my chest, dribbling down my shirt front. |
| Happy Daze |
| Having studied the world of Spirituality for over 20 years, you would think the ability to meditate would be second nature to writer Nick Richardson, but he has only recently discovered that if you want to 'Go Within' sometimes you need to 'Get Outside' |
| I think one of the reasons why I find it so hard to meditate, is that I get distracted easily and any amount of noise breaks my concentration. My train of thought is often derailed before it reaches the station. I need a sanctuary, a space to call my own where I can't be disturbed. Unfortunately, the only place like that in my house is the bathroom. It's the only room with a lock on the door - actually that's not true - I have a huge padlock on the cellar door, but that's only there to make sure those double-glazing salesment don't escape. I'm sure you'll agree that a toilet isn't the most salubrious of places for a sanctuary. Luckily, however, I do have another place that fits the bill: A rocky plateau, high above the Atlantic breakers on Cornwall's north coast. On a misty day you can just about see your boots, but on a clear day the vista is quite magnificent. The coastline stretches away for miles to both north and south and the eye is drawn to the horizon line where sea meets sky. It's here that I finally find the peace inside myself and this is where I go to become re-aquainted and uncover the parts of myself that become buried in the hurly-burly of everyday life. Here, I realise, I have five senses; I hear the pulse of waves over sand, the breath of wind on my face carrying the scent of salt, the feel of granite beneath my hands, ancient and immortal. The taste of the pasty I ate for lunch... Being in these natural elements is when I find it easiest to slip away. It's at these times when I accept the earth as a truly living organism that connects the whole of life to it. To be at one with nature is to be at one with yourself. So remember, if you have trouble going within, my advice is to get outside. |
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| The Photographs on these pages are copyright protected and belong to Nick Richardson. Please do not remove...Thanks |
| Happy Daze Nick above the Atlantic breakers on Cornwall's north coast |
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