A Minute Vacation

Serenity is that feeling you get when everything in the world feels just right.

That was yesterday morning - sitting in the cockpit of Alibi with a cup of tea in my hands and the sunshine on my face.  I tried to empty my mind of thoughts and just "be" ... which I know may sound corny or meditative ..but it wasn't the intent.  It is just that I think too much and talk too much and sometimes even I need a break from my incessant internal chatter. 

So I closed my eyes and tried to just listen to the sounds ... the wind in the palms, the birds, the lapping water ...  to just listen without commentary.  It isn't easy at all!

Yes .. the rest of the world seemed quiet around me other than the occasional bus passing by ... but it was the chatter in my head that makes the most noise. 

We complain about the constant noise of machines, music, tv, vehicles, etc ...   but our lives are filled with other noises too.... calming and appreciative sounds of birds, wind, ocean - nature ... and the silent noise of internal chatter.

I made a very concentrated effort just to listen. 
I tried to focus on one sound at a time.
I tried to make myself aware of only the sounds of nature.
I tried to stop the talking in my head.

I tried but that little internal voice kept chatting the whole time .. like a director from the sidelines of a play "Just listen to the birds" .. and I would try to listen to the birds .. "Oh, wait I hear a bus coming, no don't focus on the bus, focus on the wind in the trees. Why can't I hear just that one sound, I keep hearing the others creep in.  Stop thinking!" 

I believe it was an impossible task!

Not only are the majority of us blessed with the sense of hearing but we also have an internal voice that wants to be heard too. 

I wonder if our internal voices are a reflection of our external selves?  Do chatter boxes like me have endless internal conversations that never have answers while others who are quieter in person have less of the internal as well?  We will probably never know!

Silence may never be fully acheivable until Life is over ... so for that we should appreciate the moments of quietude that bring us Serenity but also for the chatter in our heads that lets us know we are still alive and cognizant of our surroundings.

It is in the moments of Serenity that we can in fact best hear ourselves.

Often we listen to everyone else's advice, opinions, directions and guidance.   How often do you just sit down with your own self and just listen to that person who knows you best ..  you!

Listen to yourself.  It is easier done in times of quiet (since Silence seems an impossibility).

You will be surprised at how Serenity starts to seep in.

My mum called to wish a Happy Christmas during that brief period that I was enjoying the sunshine and quiet.  She asked what I received for Christmas.  With only the one day off  for the holidays ... it was without question the sunshine and beautiful weather that was the best gift of all after a month of gales, hail and rain.  A respite from nature's chill and howling winds that had made a few rough months of boat living.

I had awoken to a still and quiet morning ... no clanking halyards on masts, no howling winds in rigging, no icy hail on deck ... it was a wonderful gift to be able to sit outdoors in the sunshine and silence and sip my tea.  It was nice to have a visit with me ....   to have "me time" .... or as my mum and I call it . "a minute vacation".

I wish for you moments of Serenity and plenty of "minute vacations".
CPM to you.
:) Sun