Stillness
Calm water, calm mind; stillness is the perfect mirror.
Expanding heart, embracing life; there is no limit.
Hope
Manatees slept along the bottom as I floated quietly among cypress roots. Fog hugged the surface as rays of light peeked between dark tree trunks. I waited.
Eventually a large, very pregnant cow glanced my way. Slowly….slowly….ever so slowly….she swam toward me. I remained motionless except for the finger on my left hand that began the video and my right index finger that pulled the lever on my underwater camera housing.
I stayed in the stillness of my heart while sending as much love as I could to her. She had survived at least one encounter with a boat propeller and had lived long enough to reproduce. She gave me hope for this sacred species.
Place of Oneness
Every time I enter the Ocean I feel Her liquid fingers tapping my heart, bringing me into the present moment…that wondrous place of existence where there is Oneness of all life. Is it any wonder that I feel more at home underneath the surface that I do on dry land.
Where is the place that brings you to stillness? To Oneness? Where are you the most present?
In the present moment we find everything for which we search. We find there is no need to search. It’s already here, within us.
Song of Life
The white sand felt cool on my feet as I stepped out of my flip flops at the bottom of the dune. I turned to gaze out over the Gulf, metallic turquoise in color. The sun was just beginning to warm the sky with golden light.
There was no wind or big waves to disrupt the surface of the water. Purple, teal, pale orange, gold and indigo danced in slowly-moving geometric patterns. As I raised my camera to capture the image, I realized I couldn’t discern the horizon. It was blurred with low-hanging pink clouds. Water and sky blended as elemental spirits celebrated the day.
My excuse to be on the beach at sunrise was sea turtle nest patrol. I was supposed to be looking for mother sea turtle tracks but admit distraction occurred, culprit of the gentle, soft beauty emanating from the sea and sky.
As I approached the edge of the water, where saltwater slowly pushed against the sand, a little shark swam by as it fed in the shallows. I don’t think most birds were awake as it was quiet and still topside while the toothy dawn feeders, who live below the surface, were already enjoying a tasty breakfast.
The sand welcomed my happy feet. Every step was a celebration of beauty, of life. There was no separation as I breathed in harmony with life on the shore.
This is how we’re supposed to live–each step one of gratitude and recognition of the oneness of life…in a state of balance and harmony.
Each color was a note. An osprey diving just offshore gave a dramatic increase in the tempo and crescendo, those elements that create tension in a composition. A sanderling scurrying along the water’s edge created sixteenth notes, quickening the symphony. Dolphins offshore gifted grace and rhythm to the song. A tidal pool added a bridge, that contrasting bit of music leading back to the original melody. The song still echoes within my being as I sit inland among the live oaks and reflect upon that glorious two hours at the shore.
Lesson from a Drop of Water
Imagine a drop of water clinging to a leaf over a still river. It desperately holds on to what is familiar because the Unknown is vast. What if the drop loses what it knows as itself in the huge expanse of water? What will happen to it?
Alas, the fight to hold on becomes more difficult than facing the fear of letting go. So slowly, ever so slowly, gravity works its magic and the droplet lets go.
The droplet feels the rush of cool air as it speeds to the surface but there’s nothing to do now except allow…be open, inviting.
The first touch of the river sends vibrations of knowing throughout the droplet. Instead of losing itself, its identity, it becomes the river, the bay, the Gulf…the Ocean.
When we allow ourselves to let go and be immersed in the Vast Expanse we call…God, Spirit, Source, Great Spirit, the Tao….we become who we are. There is no need to search, just a need to let go and allow.