High on Happiness

Posts Tagged ‘calm’

Once more, before the snow, the sky lowered itself across the smooth waters of the lake and gazed up at itself.  The hills and trees lay with it in perfect stillness.  As above, so below.

Not a whisper of a breeze disturbed the scene.  Even the ducks were still, as if they sensed this was a sacred pause, a space between the movements of the symphony’s song.

The holiness of it all seemed so wide; there were no edges.  And yet, every particle of light seemed to be quivering in silent anticipation, ready to burst into bright, joyous song.

But not yet.  First there would be this moment of union, this vast, spacious calm before the snow.

All across the globe, in every land, Earth keeps places that few ever see, magical reserves, small patches of the Garden.

If you should come across one on a day when your heart was untroubled and you mind free of care, you might find yourself stopping, caught by its power.

Something about it would make you want to breathe deeply, as if you were inhaling an extraordinary peace.

The child in you might want to run headlong into its spaces, full of gladness and shouting, “Home! Home!”  And yet you would hardly dare move, lest you disturb it somehow.

These are the places that hold the calm for the world.  They cleanse and balance the stresses of the deadening cities, the crowded thoroughfares, the torn homes.  They hold the earth tones of the Great Yes and breathe them into the breezes.

And the breezes go forth and wend their way through all Earth’s villages and towns.  And they sing the song to the hearts of all her creatures:  “All is well.  Be at peace.  You are loved.”

Throughout the day, the lake had been bustling with activity.

Fishermen and their families were fishing.  Kids lined its shores skipping rocks.  Swimmers thronged the little beach.   Picnickers grilled their lunches, their radios booming music, and filled the air with laughter.

Even the geese were out in full force, knowing some of the humans would bring bread, even if the signs said not to.

The lake loved all the commotion.  It loved the way the humans’ murmurs and laughter, their music and shrieks hovered over its surface and ricocheted off the trees along its bank. It was grateful to be there for them and delighted in their play.

But today had been exceptionally raucous and the thick, humid air pressed their sounds heavily against its waters.  By mid-afternoon, it was beginning to dream about midnight and the quiet it would bring.

Just then, as if summoned by the lake’s weariness, a sudden strong wind moved through the trees.  Lightning danced in the clouds.  Great peals of thunder swept across the valley.  And then the rain came with a fury, sending all the picnickers and swimmers and fishermen and their families away.  Even the geese sought refuge.

The rain kept up for over two hours.  And when it ended, no one was left along the lake’s shores and the only sound was the singing of birds and the drips of raindrops from the trees.

The lake’s waters calmed and it breathed a long, soothing sigh of release and gave thanks for the day’s adventures and for the late afternoon calm, and most of all, for the deep pleasures of being a lake.

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“Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted.  Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.” ~Hans Margolius

The deeper your contentment, the calmer your mind.  The calmer your mind, the clearer your perception.  The clearer your perception, the more beauty you see.  The more beauty you see, the more ecstasy you feel.

Seek contentment.

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Grab yourself a mind canoe and drift down the quiet stream.  Let the winds and waves dance elsewhere; this hour is for you.

This is the hour when contentment reigns, when the garish colors of the day melt into mere reflections that float on the surface of the deep and flowing now.  This is the place where all that surrounds you is wealth and a profusion of serenity, and you are one with it and whole.

Round the bends smoothly; let the stream carry you where it may.  Watch thoughts glimmer past like small fishes darting through the fronds; you have no need to catch them or to hold them in your hand.

Breathe in the cool air, perfumed with the fragrance of pure being; breathe out, adding your own essence to the perfume.  And just glide, glide, easily glide on the calm and endlessly flowing stream.

Scenes drift past.  They do not hold you, for you have become one with the stream, with its liquid hymn of harmony and its smooth, smoothing flow.  And you glide and glide, and easily glide.

And when you are refreshed, you gently steer your mind to shore.  Then, stepping from the stream, you follow the patches of sunlight back to the place from which you began, and you find it newly drenched with peace and whispering yes.

Ever so softly the snow fell, its countless glistening crystals smoothing the landscape with great, clean curves.  And even though we have had more than our share of it since the month began, its beauty is undeniable.

It erases the sharp edges of things and brings a quiet to the world that evokes a kind of reverence and subtle joy.

Looking out at the newly brushed landscape, I couldn’t help but feel a deep calm and a sense of awe at the sheer majesty of the scene outside my window.

It put me in touch with the serene side of happiness, the sense that we live at the command of a vast beneficence.  It’s the kind of happiness that wears the sparkle of tranquility and that rises from a calm and quiet heart.

The serenity of happiness is a gift that soothes and smoothes the jangled thoughts of our all too busy minds.  It has a transcendent beauty about it that lets you hear the angels sing.  It falls softly with a gentle grace and lets you taste the sweetness of true inner peace.  It’s a whispering of the great yes, a surrender to trusting that all is well, despite the evidence of our limited perceptions.

It comes to you when you practice stilling yourself, when you allow yourself to set your cares and anxieties aside.  It begins with simply breathing, with practicing mindfulness and presence.  The more you allow yourself to soften into relaxation, the wider you open the channels through which happiness flows.  And the more that you open them, the greater your sense of inner peace and joy.