Welcome.
If someone has upset you lately,
If life has felt overwhelming,
Or perhaps you've found yourself replaying conversations,
Worries,
Or possibilities long after the event has passed,
Then you're not alone.
And perhaps more importantly,
There's nothing wrong with you.
In Buddhism,
The mind is sometimes compared to a vessel of water containing fine sediment.
When life or someone stirs the water,
Everything becomes cloudy.
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Frustrations and fears.
The water itself has not been damaged.
It has simply been disturbed.
And perhaps you've noticed that when you try to force the water to become clear,
It only stirs it further.
He had given a little time.
A little stillness.
The sediment settles naturally.
Clarity returns by itself.
As the ancient philosopher Lao Tzu wisely asked,
Do you have the patience to wait until the mud settles and the water becomes clear?
So for these next few moments,
There's nothing you need to solve,
Nothing you need to fix,
Nothing you need to force.
Simply allow yourself to settle,
And if thoughts continue to stir,
That's perfectly okay.
Perhaps they're not interruptions to the practice.
Perhaps they are the practice.
Gently bring your awareness to the right hand.
Noticing the thumb.
The fingers.
The palm of the hand.
And the rest.
Nothing to do.
Nothing to change.
Simply noticing.
Giving the sediment a chance to settle undisturbed.
Now become aware of your left hand.
Thumb.
Fingers.
Um.
.
.
Allowing.
Settling.
Bringing awareness to your shoulders.
Feeling their weight.
Feeling the support beneath you.
And perhaps without effort.
The waters within begin to grow a little calmer.
Moving your awareness to your chest and heart.
No need to change anything.
Simply noticing that this area too is worthy of your gentle attention.
And perhaps gathering back a little of your kindness.
Your courage.
And your compassion.
Moving your awareness to your tummy.
Softening around the abdomen.
Allowing yourself to be supported.
Giving the waters within another opportunity to settle.
Now becoming aware of your legs.
All the way down to the feet.
Feeling your connection with the earth beneath you.
Steady.
Grounded.
And perhaps noticing that life will continue to stir the waters from time to time.
Difficult moments.
Unanswered questions.
People having difficult days.
Even thoughts that revisit us from time to time.
Peace does not come from fighting the spoon.
Nor does it come from pushing the water back.
Sometimes what disturbs us needs something to push against.
Something to feed upon.
Something to keep the water moving.
And every time you gently return your awareness here.
You offer a little less reaction and a little more stillness.
Not every wave needs a wave in return.
And little by little the water begins to clear.
As Marcus Aurelius reminded himself,
You always own the option of having no opinion.
Not every thought requires a response.
Not every emotion requires a reaction.
That every disturbance deserves your peace.
And perhaps,
As the water begins to clear,
Something else becomes possible.
Not just calm,
But understanding.
For there is wisdom in the pause.
The Stoics understood that while our first reaction may be automatic,
Our second response can be chosen.
And sometimes beneath the frustration.
Beneath the worry.
Beneath the anger.
There's something quieter,
Asking for our attention.
A fear.
A disappointment.
A tender place that has been touched.
And perhaps,
With greater clarity,
We can gently ask ourselves,
What is really upsetting me?
What truly needs my attention.
For sometimes,
The situation before us is only the surface of the water.
And beneath the surface,
There may be something deeper asking to be seen.
Understood.
And ultimately met with compassion.
Not judgement.
Not shame.
But kindness.
For stillness is not passivity,
And peace is not pretending.
There may be times when loving boundaries are needed.
Times when difficult conversations must be had.
Times when we are called to break old patterns.
Or perhaps to acknowledge our own part with honesty and compassion.
For while we are not always responsible for what stirred the waters,
We are always empowered to choose what happens next.
For healing begins not when we fight what we feel,
But when we're willing to sit beside it long enough to understand what it's really trying to tell us.
So for this moment,
Simply rest.
And perhaps you're beginning to discover that peace is not something you create.
Peace is what begins to reveal itself when the waters are given a chance to settle.
The water itself was never damaged.
It simply needed time.
Stillness.
And the opportunity to settle.
And with time and practice,
The waters within remember their natural clarity.
And perhaps so do you.
But for now,
Take care.
Trust the timing of your journey and may you find the joy in the gentle ripples of life.
Namaste.
