August/2009
I found my solace sitting up a tree. I also found it at the bottom of a swimming pool, in the fresh clean air on a mountain side, beside the undulating sea on a boat or staring into a fireplace with the flames flickering in my head. Anywhere I could stop for a moment and discover myself or reach for the universe within, I found me.
It is so important to find yourself outside this busy hectic world where so many souls are floating around following what ever manufactured influence they can latch onto, to find happiness or to look good to others. I was always amazed that so many people do things to say that they did it. Why not experience it, just for yourself? Perhaps you don’t need to tell anyone that you did it as long as you are happy within yourself. It’s not a secret. It’s just for you.
I don’t mean to suggest that you stop sharing yourself with others, we never need to be lonely. But don’t go out of your way to seek approval. You may find it disappointing. First look to find who you are, then create who you want to be, and be the best you can be, for yourself first. Don’t live your lifefor others but with others of your choice. And don’t be too selfish. Learn that life is about giving, of ourselves, to others. So how can we be ourselves if we haven’t connected with ourselves? Connecting with others is life. Connecting with ourselves is soul. With this concept you may find the approval from within first, and the happiness that you have been searching for will open to you.
Connecting with myself is something I used to do naturally. It led to my creativity manifesting genuinely. Most days I turn up for my film industry assignments an hour before the filming, just to “be”. I figure that the only time I can really relax during the day is before all the others turn up and we begin to turn what chaos we create into a TV show or a feature film. I also pace my hectic lifestyle with days of peace after each assignment. However, recently I have let the noise and the chaos of living clutter my way, hurt my health, disturb my creative energy and edge.
I am now looking to meditation, based on the advise of film maker David Lynch. David’s Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace is promoting transcendental meditation for American schools and for at-risk youth around the world.
“I have had the pleasure of meeting many students who are “diving within” and experiencing Consciousness-Based education. These students are all unique individuals, very much themselves. They are amazing, self-sufficient, wide-awake, energetic, blissful, creative, powerfully intelligent and peaceful human beings. Meeting these students, for me, was the proof that Consciousness-Based education is a profoundly good thing for our schools and for our world.”
David Lynch - Film Maker - http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org
It takes more than being a pragmatist to be successful in life. It also takes a basic understanding of self. The problem is, every day life gets in the way and we don’t make time to develop a way to find “us”. But we are there. Waiting. We need to steer ourselves away from the noise and socital cynicism that pervades our culture and existence, and cultivate a better quality of life. For me, I found myself from an early age and enjoyed a fully rounded life/soul journey where I have slowly learned to take a broader look at the confronting stress. I am now finding my way back to the innocence of curiosity and the solace of peace. I recommend it to everyone.
Solace up a tree is not as silly as it may seem. Convening with nature, both inside and out, is at the core of who we are, and our existence here on earth is made so much more whole and dynamic by coming to terms with the nature of who we are.
