We have lots of thoughts in a day. Most are thoughts we’ve have yesterday and the day before. Some are helpful like the combination to our locker at the gym. Most are not, like the thought of how embarrassed we are because of the slow driver of the car we are riding in. Who notices, who cares, does this really matter in life? Over and over we have these same unhelpful thoughts.
One of the reasons these are not so helpful is that they come between us and those around us, usually the ones we most care about. They take is out of the moment to moment experience we have in relationship. They work to separate us for the experience available to us in the moment.
When we look closely, we see the torrent of thought just welling up in us like a oil gusher. One after the other with no or little rhythm nor reason. We don't control this torrent and when we look close enough we see we can see just how at its mercy we are of the storm. It is like there are multiple people in here. Most tossing random thoughts at us haphazardly and one having to react, the self that interacts with the world. The self responsible for interacting with the world, the intermediary between thought and actions, often goes to sleep, letting the random thoughts have their way influencing our behavior. This all wouldn't be so bad if the ones doing the random thoughts generating had our best interest in heart. But they don't. Many, and in so cases most, random thoughts generated are negative, hurtful, cause fear, separation, depression, just plain false. If we are asleep to this, these thoughts gain power and repeat.
Break this cycle. This is what waking up is about.
Credits — Rich and our Saturday morning coffee therapy sessions. Sam Harris and his “Waking Up” app, guided meditation, and podcast.
Image by Will Simpson
This is a journal entry meant as a reminder to me. It is a reminder to me how I want to operate and some tips put together in a moment of clarity to help when I am less clear and caught up in stuff the I can’t control. Continue the conversation anytime: will@kestrelcreek.com.