recently i’ve been receiving reflexology treatments from my dear friend ivana. that could be an entire blog post in itself, but today i just wanted to touch on something that happened last week during my session.
i’ve been trying to relax into the moment while i’m there, to turn off the overactive thinking-thinking-thinking part of my brain and focus solely on self-care during that hour. it’s been a slow process, but i’m making progress, one moment at a time. and it was one of those truly-present moments that i’d like to share with you.
but first let me backtrack a bit. i’ve been practicing qi gong for about two and a half years. this post isn’t about that either, but i will say one thing about my practice: it is a lovely example of both movement and meditation, increasing flexibility in both body and mind. though i’m a huge advocate of mindfulness, i’d personally struggled in the past with meditation, often unable to calm my mind enough to just sit and be. since i’ve introduced qi gong into my daily ritual, however, my attempts at meditation have been much more satisfying. except for one thing. visualization.
i love words. i write words. i think in words. images just don’t come up when i try to picture something. words do. i am simply not a visual person (unless seeing words in my head counts).
but that day, in that session, in that self-care moment . . . a beautiful visual sprang suddenly to mind. it was as vivid as a movie screen in front of me. the image was of a very large white room, divided into two sections. there were lots of windows, but no furniture at all. the room was spacious, expansive, and empty.
empty, except for one thought. one of my thoughts. just one, so i could easily pay attention to it.
and then the image was gone. but the feeling of spaciousness and clarity lingered. i thought about it often over the next few days, pondering its meaning. and then i wrote this poem so i could capture the essence of the experience forever.
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Let’s paint a picture, shall we?
Of the quiet place we envision,
Often long for in our minds.
A place with no cacophony of thoughts.
It’s white and it’s spacious.
And just one thought is in view.
Allowed to linger for a time,
Taking up exactly its required space.
No more, no less.
Leaving ample breathing room.
To process and digest it.
To keep it or release it.
It’s simple in that white white room,
And tidy too.
A room without chaos,
A room filled with calm.
Awareness floods the emptiness
With dazzling warmth and truth.
Bright light and crystal clarity,
A glowing knowing from within.
If only we could keep creating,
Each and every day,
This important mental haven,
Mind and soul restored again.
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THE ARRIVAL
TUSCANY, ITALY | MAY 20-25, 2018
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