The Author
When I was young, around 12 or 13, I would lock myself in my mother’s bathroom, turn on the shower and shut off the lights. Opening my eyes to complete darkness, I envisioned an imaginary sanctuary: It was an opening in the woods with a beautiful moonlit waterfall; the tall trees providing peaceful protection from the outside world, the sound of the cascading water would sooth my ears and drown out my worries. I would imagine sitting on a tree stump beside the waterfall watching the moonlight gracefully reflect upon Mother Nature. The cool warm wind tingling at my Goosebumps as I just sat there to do nothing more the just be myself. I felt the beauty of my dreams in those precious early moments. I has no idea what I was doing at the time, I was to young to know what meditation was, but it felt great; like something I needed to do without knowing it. My imagination has always been a sense of wonder. As I grew older, my imagination grew bigger and continued to gain momentum, until I became possessed by it. My mind dominated my life with past thoughts and future fairytales. I dreamed every moment of every day. Now I realize, I have been owned by my mind. Perhaps one day, I will fall over a rock and hit the ground, awakening into the complete bliss of enlightenment, or maybe I will be walking through a market place and overhear a butcher say “Hey, take a look — nothing but good stuff” and experience a Zen transformation. Maybe, I will wake up to the song of a bird singing and realize there is infinite more light in the universe then I realize. Those very thoughts are the future anticipations for something grand to happen in my life, something that will awaken me to the present joy of enlightenment. Yet, I know this will probably never happen. So each day, I struggle to find present enlightenment in my life through the meditations, readings and teachings of others. I have become aware of how little control I have over my mind; with its constant thoughts, fears, and emotions that dominate by being. Since my mind lives in this unchangeable past and never arriving future, I sometimes feel powerless in the present moment. This must Change. Fortunately, change is the only constant in the world. One day I hope to find myself sitting peacefully on a park bench in utter and complete awe of the beauty of everything around me. Striving for only the tangible; the present moment of life…. A daily cup of enlightened Zen for the soul anyone? Then subscribe today!
