This is an exerpt from Kent Nurburg's, Simple Truths:
"Nature is the clearest source of solitude. The greatness of nature can overwhelm the insignificant chatter by which we measure most of our days. If you have the wisdom and courage to go to nature alone, the larger rhythms, the eternal hum, will make itself known all the sooner. When you have found it, it will always be there for you. The peace without will become the peace within, and you will be able to return to it in your heart wherever you find yourself."
Kent Nurburg is relecting on solitude and loneliness. I spend a lot of time with myself and often find that "chatter" that he describes overwhelms me. This is when I know that I NEED to go for a walk at Bluff Point. These walks ground me and I feel those "larger rhythms" and "eternal hum" that he talks about. I wondered if anyone else did too? I am not sure that I have completely found it within myself as I still get anxious about a lot of things. On my walks this week I am going to be more aware of what I am feeling and see if I can bring myself to a sense of peace during those times when I am unable to go out into nature and the "chatter" won't stop swarming around in my head. I was wondering if anyone else had this incessant chatter swarming around in their heads?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
"Simple Truths"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
Yes, yes, yes!!! I definitely identify with your "constant chatter". While I cherish the time I spend at home with me 1 year old daughter, I also find that I spend a lot of time in my own head. Definitely much more than when I was teaching! It is good in a lot of ways... allowing me the time to read more and savor ideas, but it can also have a dark side that allows me to overthink and wallow in ideas. Getting out and getting active does help. As does communicating with others either via phone or computer. But my biggest refuge is books. They allow me to leave the "chatter" in my own brain and fall into another world for a brief period of time.
Although the "chatter" can be maddening, perhaps it is the genesis from where creativity comes from. Our job, as artists, is to sort through the chatter and not let it take over us. Easies said than done (:
I feel that my LOOONG rides into work and home is where I find myself swarmed with the chatter. I tend to push the chatter aside when I need to, knowing that I have plenty of time in the car to let it get to me. When I do go out for walks and sit out in my yard, I try my best to appreciate my new surrounds and really observe what I am seeing, or to think about what about that moment makes me feel as though I made a good choice to uproot across the country. This weekend when I was sitting outside, I did some of that reflecting that I will share:
"The sun blazes down onto my already browned skin. It's not the summer sun of July, but the delightful rays of a warm October in the desert. A very slight breeze ripples the cool water of the pool and ina distance, the joyous sounds of children who have been proteced from the heat all summer can be heard. The rumble of air conditioner just kicked on. Wait! It's October. No- Ah! It's October. My mind gets cluttered with financial stresses, wondering if this move was a snart one. I push aside the nonsense and realize that I have all that I need here. True love, loyal friends and family near and far, a beatiful home to call my very own, sunshine everyday, bathing suits in the fall, and above all, I have TIME. Time to sit back and appreciate."
Liz- I love how you refered to us- and yourself as artists. Though we are not all "artists" in the traditional sense, it is important to be able to claim that title for all the various ways we express our creativity!
Post a Comment