Picture this - My Visual Life .2

Other than a wee trip to the mountains for a night, I haven't been doing much with my time but I figured I would post some pictures, if not to encourage myself to document and be more adventurous.
So as slight as it may be, this is what mine eyes hath seen:


Went for lunch at the best little restaurant in town with Lady Love whom I get to spend more time with now that she's free of schooling for a while. Good food, good conversation, good times.



Lady Love with her gorgeous luscious eyes enjoying an eggplant po'boy. Ain't she a doll?



This seems to be the activities of the majority of my nights as of lately. The cat seems to enjoy it.




My Man and I in the shadow of the mountains and the light of the morning sun. He somehow convinced me we were just going to Calgary to dick around in the mall for a day trip. How I didn't catch on, I have no idea.


Some wildlife we saw on the way. There was also a Semi V.S. Moose fight in front of us on the road there. Sure, it would've broken my heart, but you don't get to see that kind of thing every day.


The hotel we stayed at had an assortment of wildlife growing from the walls. We were reminded a few times of how "Beauty and the Beast" it was. We even had the pleasure of hearing singing in the streets!

Its funny, I was sick for a bit and couldn't go to any classes in that time. I also figured that not meditating would be a good idea as well and have been slacking with that for the past while. As much as I would love to say that it was a bad idea, I'm kind of thanking myself for taking that break. Granted, it's hard to get back into it but it's nice to see how drastically those two things change your life.

As shown above, I've been given the book "The Power of Now" By Eckhart Tolle. I've read it once before a couple years back and it changed my life then so I am hoping for it to evoke some more radical movements in my life this time around as well. I plan on referencing it from time to time and maybe even working through some of my thoughts about it on here. Hopefully it causes some shifts in thoughts.

Until then, I leave with the quote:

"Watch the thinker, you are not your thoughts"

M.

Silence of the Man

It's a thunder filled afternoon here in the north. Large dense clouds have been rolling over my view from the window and rain has felt so tight inside those clouds that they've decided to hurdle themselves down towards the earth in a torrential manor more than once in the last hour or so. Growing up in the western forests of the north, I appreciate the rain, as different as it is from this land. The sound of it is what really makes me feel at peace. Trying to pick out each individualized drop is impossible, but the sound of the millions of them together is irreplaceable. And the storms here are just amazing. The sky seems to almost crack in half as the rain pelts the land.
I am still awaiting our first earth rumbling storm of spring. I feel it coming. Soon.
Something that has been seeping into my life almost like condensation on a glass, is the importance of sound and lack there of.

It started when my Dancing Queen was talking a bit about silent retreats and how beneficial they are and yet, how it's almost a respect to others not to impede on their personal space. No communication.
Then another friend of mine mentioned that they wanted to do a whole day of silence. No talking out loud. And I thought "Hmm, that is actually an option for me to do at some point." It sparked the idea.

Recently I've been making some huge changes and what a better time to spend completely dwelling within myself than now? My Lady Love and I are planning on doing a "communal" (a loose sense of the word) meditation where we do nothing but look within ourselves. I'm daunted by the idea and yet still intrigued. I want to know what is inside of me, I know how yoga can open up emotions hidden in the body and have experienced quite strong waves of that but to not really entice it and to just allow it to happen is something totally different. I was planning on bringing a lot of "props", shall we say, to this "communal meditation" but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if it will take it away from being fully self aware. Is it just a distraction? Is it something to hinder the deep inward motion? Or will it allow better energy to flow?
On the opposite end, I've always loved music and participated in it. Whether it be piano lessons for years on end, voice lessons, singing bowls, kirtan, or just a simple om before class, I've always loved sound. Now I almost feel like I should take some time away from sound.
I personally feel it is healthy to go through the senses and take them away. How else are you to fully appreciate each one?

I challenge you, reader, to maybe play a bit with that. Only go as far as you feel is healthy, but maybe if not speaking is impossible for making your earnings, try not listening to music that day and allowing sound to be coming from everything but you. Or make an effort to close your eyes as much as you can. (Safety first) Maybe you even just want to start to take a notice as to how things feel? Is texture a big part of your life? Or maybe it is and you don't notice it as much.

Engaging in these exercises are so helpful for growth. I encourage you to try and find self awareness.

Maybe even find some peace.

M.