I am grateful to have spent every summer of my life at the side
of an ocean. I love the space, the smells, the sounds, the ever changing vista.
And I notice how much the surface of the ocean is like the surface of my mind.
Most summer mornings the surface of the ocean is calm. As
the sun heats the land, wind begins to stir the top of the ocean. As the wind builds, so do the waves. By the middle
of most afternoons, the riot of wind and waves reach their crescendo, and then begin
to fade. By sunset, the surface of the ocean is calm again. Only the fading undulations
of the day’s waves remain.
The surface of my mind is much like the surface of the
ocean. Each day I wake to the simple calm awareness that I am alive. Then,
quickly, the day’s thoughts, commitments, wants, resistances and all other
forms of agitations stir the mind. Certain thoughts generate an emotional
reaction. The emotions reinforce the importance of the thought, which give rise
to additional thoughts which stir additional emotions. This all seems to happen without any
conscious encouragement, and so half way through some days the surface of my
mind can resemble the most windblown seascape.
The question that saves me from drowning in the daily torrent
is simple. “Am I defined by what is going on automatically at the surface of my
mind?” This question reminds me that if I am observing the constant stream of passing
thoughts and emotions, then they cannot be me. Something deeper, an aware essence,
is observing all events. That part of me is unchanging, always simply present and
aware that what is happening in the heavily conditions circuits of my mind
cannot define me any more than the ocean can be defined by the fleeting currents
on the surface.
In its depths, the ocean is unchangingly calm. I very happy to be reminded that I am too.
Contact Steve through his Life and Business Coach website.
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