Today was a very peaceful day. I got off my lazy butt and went for a bike ride. I had no destination in mind, but rather decided simply to ride wherever whim took me. I ended up at Black Lake off of the Tom Paine slough where I used to go as a teen. It has changed much, but seems to have reverted back to a more natural state than what I last remembered. The day was perfect. The temperature was cool and enjoyable and the breeze did not hinder my riding to any significant degree. When I sat by my childhood haunt it seemed that all of creation was in a state of serenity. I sat upon the bank and watched as the birds, muskrats and fish went about their simple lives. The light was of a wonderful quality and everything seemed fresh and alive. I seemed more at home and at ease than I had felt in a very long time. There was life, death and motion all about me. The cycle complete as it should be. Man�s presence was there with odd bits of trash and old rusty farm and common utensils about. But more or less it was nature that reigned supreme in occupation of the area.
I continued on my simple journey and rode all in all about five miles. I must say that I enjoyed it more than any other event in the last few months for sure. I always seem to when I am alone. The thing that I find most interesting is the calling of nature to my spirit. As I sit in solitude, gazing at the vastness and wonder of the natural world, there is a sense of inclusion which is fleeting yet always present. In moments of observation of the motion around me I feel a sense of fulfillment and being at one with all of creation. When my focus sets on something in particular I feel the faintest perception of unity with that which is the object of my attention. Not only that there is harmony between myself and it, but a sense of expansion of my own very being. As though accepting the very object of my perceptions as an extension of all that I am. The feeling as I said is fleeting and wispy. There is no sense of solidity. But within myself there is the idea that if this realization could be fully embraced, true and lasting harmony could be achieved. As it is now, the feeling is simply the whisper of a promise of total fulfillment of being. I feel as though I am fortunate, for I can honestly say that I experience this feeling many times throughout the course of any given day. Most of these intuitions are momentary and fleeting as I previously stated, but they are a constant reminder none the less in this daily existence.
I get this idea in my head that all the mysteries of God and creation are there present in each of these moments and that if I could only learn to remain in them and find a way to extend and expand upon them I would find satisfaction and peace of mind unlike any that I have yet come to know in this life. Now one might think that this inability to expand these brief glimpses into infinity would prove to be a source of frustration, but it is quite the opposite. Those moments are the light in my life that balances all other events. And the ability to look back in time and see the ever growing awareness of these moments from times past shows me that progress is indeed being made. Perhaps not as quickly as this mind would like, but progress there is. I look back and see plateaus of awareness and then new peaks as I continue on the journey of this life. And strangely enough, with each new level of awareness I find evermore that silence is the only way to explore those understandings. No amount of rationalization or reason can explain the insights and mysteries, they are simply acceptances of basic Truth. Frustration only follows when I try to pick them apart or explain them to others in a way so that they may understand them. But more and more I come to see that the only true way is for each person to experience them for themselves. This is not to say that it is an exercise in futility. For any attempt to express these understandings at least serves as a pointer on where to look, where to begin the journey. And with any luck, the fashion in which I live my life will serve as an example as well and shine as a light for others to question and seek possibilities for and within themselves.
My deepest sorrow is for those who will not allow themselves to travel that road or question the possibility of something more than the tangible material world and their own basic perceptions and opinions. For those who lock themselves in a pattern of what their physical senses show them and never look at the wondrous mechanics of motion and transference of matter and energy behind it all. Never looking to see the intricate strands of connection that binds all of creation together as one holistic whole. Never allowing themselves to see that each essence of being in whatever form it takes touches upon and encompasses so much more than itself. That in a never ending chain every person, place or thing touches upon and affects all else in the universe. Cause and effect, no matter how slight is prevalent in the whole of space and time and each event cascades and flows over into all else, no matter how slight the occurrence or unimportant we may decide it to be. Some things create noticeable or massive change, others may pass without the awareness of any disruption, but they all work in harmony to create that thing which we call reality and affect us in some way, no matter how slight. Most of it occurs without us ever being aware since they do not impede our ideas of what should and should not be, but then it is only our own expectations of what we believe should and should not be that cause our own dismay, our own sorrow and fear. If people could learn to let go of expectation and desire and simply accept that which simply is, then they would be that much closer to finding serenity and peace. But they cling to those things that they deem right and wrong and manifest their own misery, creating within themselves judgment of others and perhaps worst of all, judgment of self, never allowing themselves to see all the wonder and beauty that is intrinsic in all things, all people and all events.
I am grateful for the many insights I have gleaned thus far in this life and on reflecting upon this last birthday of mine, hope that I live to witness many others and grow evermore in my understanding of all the mysteries of this world and beyond.
