When visiting my father in Coconut Grove, Florida, I meditate on the balcony of his sixth floor condominium. Beneath is a beautiful rock garden surrounded by gardens. I watch the sun languidly rise amongst the billowy clouds that make Miami’s sky so sensual. The various shades of tropical tangerine, pinks shimmering in the morning heat and the iridescent, turquoise blue waters of Biscayne Bay seem to applaud the appearance of a new day. I feel very fortunate to observe this beauty.
As I close my eyes the warm breezes caresses my skin allowing me to feel the borders of my body. I hear the gentle rustling sounds of coconut palm trees, the waterfalls in the gardens, the birds chirping and singing their morning songs. I also listen to the wind playing angelic chimes. I’m watching myself think "how tranquil and soothing nature’s sounds are."
Then I hear a jet as it flies high above me. At first I begin to attach judgments to the sound… "it’s so loud, uncomfortably powerful, annoying, an irritant." I stop myself and allow the sound, just to be a ~ sound ~ a vibration. Not good. Not bad. Just energy.
As I realize this I immediately understand I can still hear the water, birds, trees, and wind in the background. I feel my perception of reality shift.
After my meditation I thought about the experience and appreciated the lesson I had been given. Often times in our daily encounters we experience anger, sadness, low self-esteem, etc. and these powerful feelings have strong energies attached to them. However, if we begin to understand that life is a spiritual journey we can perceive the emotional upheavals as static and still know the peaceful humming core within all of us is always there.
This is why the meditation practice is so important. It’s a sacred space of clearing. A daily reminder that we can always access our inner peace, which is always quietly waiting for us... to be still, to turn our attention and intentions inward and gift us with another way of perceiving life.
