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State of Mind
4 min read
Walking home this evening at 6:00 PM I had another interesting experience:
It was dusk. The sky was pale blue with very few clouds in the sky. The air was chilly. As I took a deep breath the cool crisp air awakened my senses. It refreshed my lungs and I felt invigorated, as though I had been asleep the whole day. As if I had only just opened my eyes for the first time in my life, I was engulfed by the vibrant colour of the world around me. Leaves were green on the trees and the grass was soft under my feet. With each step forward the ground beneath each foot sunk a little, as if it too was just waking up to the world like I was. Although the earth could have just been wary from a long day of bearing the physical weight of mankind. Nevertheless, it was soft and gentle. I sauntered forward, taking in all the world around me. The comings and goings of passers-by, with cheerful laughter and wide smiles rooted in their expressions. The evening songs of the birds as they returned to their nests. Everything was in harmony with my own state of mind. We were all happy. As I approached the road, the sounds of engines revving and speeding along could be heard faintly. It was a little busy on the roads but it was peaceful.
Then I could see a bus come from a long way out. I hastened my pace lest I miss it. Squeaking suspension and screeching brakes. The bus came to a halt. I took a quick look inside but the bus was packed full of people eager to end their day and get home. Hot supper, warm house, comfy couch and nice loose pyjamas were their prime thoughts.
I then resolved to taking the long one-hour walk to my house. I plugged in my headphones and started walking. The sky grew more and more grey. The air grew cooler and cooler but I was too lost in the music to notice. Each breath I took was in rhythm with the beat of the song and waves of energy were sent coursing through me, which only threw me deeper into the music. I felt a sudden little prick of cold on my arm. Then another and another. It was mother nature, lulling her way into pouring her heavenly life-giving water onto the earth. The world suddenly grew dark all around. As far as I could see, street lights started flickering on and I could see the raindrops fall as they caught the light. Still I walked on, in hight spirits, the music carrying me along the way. Panicked civilians rushed past me, running for shelter from the rain. Some didn't even do so much as glance at me while taken up by the primal instinct to find shelter. Others, however, did look at me but with looks of confusion and disapproval. "What's wrong with that guy? He'll get seriously wet!"
The rain, luckily, was not heavy but each drop was gentle. They seemed to lightly coat me as if mother nature herself was lovingly embracing me into her bosom. I walked on thinking about how quickly everyone's happiness was washed away by the rain and how I was the only one that was undisturbed by it. Then I remembered some wise words someone told me. And just like today's rain I didn't see that person coming. "Happiness is a state of mind." If you want to be happy, you will be. Troubles unforeseen will come along the way but your happiness cannot be ruined by it.
Stay happy. Always.
It was dusk. The sky was pale blue with very few clouds in the sky. The air was chilly. As I took a deep breath the cool crisp air awakened my senses. It refreshed my lungs and I felt invigorated, as though I had been asleep the whole day. As if I had only just opened my eyes for the first time in my life, I was engulfed by the vibrant colour of the world around me. Leaves were green on the trees and the grass was soft under my feet. With each step forward the ground beneath each foot sunk a little, as if it too was just waking up to the world like I was. Although the earth could have just been wary from a long day of bearing the physical weight of mankind. Nevertheless, it was soft and gentle. I sauntered forward, taking in all the world around me. The comings and goings of passers-by, with cheerful laughter and wide smiles rooted in their expressions. The evening songs of the birds as they returned to their nests. Everything was in harmony with my own state of mind. We were all happy. As I approached the road, the sounds of engines revving and speeding along could be heard faintly. It was a little busy on the roads but it was peaceful.
Then I could see a bus come from a long way out. I hastened my pace lest I miss it. Squeaking suspension and screeching brakes. The bus came to a halt. I took a quick look inside but the bus was packed full of people eager to end their day and get home. Hot supper, warm house, comfy couch and nice loose pyjamas were their prime thoughts.
I then resolved to taking the long one-hour walk to my house. I plugged in my headphones and started walking. The sky grew more and more grey. The air grew cooler and cooler but I was too lost in the music to notice. Each breath I took was in rhythm with the beat of the song and waves of energy were sent coursing through me, which only threw me deeper into the music. I felt a sudden little prick of cold on my arm. Then another and another. It was mother nature, lulling her way into pouring her heavenly life-giving water onto the earth. The world suddenly grew dark all around. As far as I could see, street lights started flickering on and I could see the raindrops fall as they caught the light. Still I walked on, in hight spirits, the music carrying me along the way. Panicked civilians rushed past me, running for shelter from the rain. Some didn't even do so much as glance at me while taken up by the primal instinct to find shelter. Others, however, did look at me but with looks of confusion and disapproval. "What's wrong with that guy? He'll get seriously wet!"
The rain, luckily, was not heavy but each drop was gentle. They seemed to lightly coat me as if mother nature herself was lovingly embracing me into her bosom. I walked on thinking about how quickly everyone's happiness was washed away by the rain and how I was the only one that was undisturbed by it. Then I remembered some wise words someone told me. And just like today's rain I didn't see that person coming. "Happiness is a state of mind." If you want to be happy, you will be. Troubles unforeseen will come along the way but your happiness cannot be ruined by it.
Stay happy. Always.
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As I Drove Home
3 min read
While driving back from the store at around 7:00 pm I had an interesting and enlightening experience:
It was just as the rain had died down; minimal traffic on the roads and little human traffic as well. The road was under a thin layer of water, glistening as the water caught the shine of car headlights. The reflections of the tarmac surface were distorted such that the lights seemed to trail away from their source; the water droplets diffusing the light, making it blur and giving it a soft tone. The red of brake-lights flashed bright as the car in front of me slowed down at the junction. Something caught my eye. It was the sharp splash of a raindrop on the ground. The drop was not the sole remnant of the rain passed. There were others. The edges of the road were lined by many such splashes and splatters. " Oh great! It's raining again! " I thought. I noticed that there were no raindrops in the middle of the road. I looked up at the sky. It was dark with dense grey clouds but no rain fell forth from the overburdened heralds of gloom and fortune. Then as I looked to either side of the road I saw trees on each side. Luscious green leaves sparkled as the lights from my car caught the fat drops of life-giving water on them. Under them on the road surface were those splashing formations, each drop smacking the ground i a rhythmic pattern. At times they were fast, lively, energetic! At times slow and lethargic, as if moving to the direction of a conductor, echoing his moves. Swaying as he did, marching, singing, chanting! Rising to a crescendo and slowly going legato then pianissimo then the diminuendo.
I was mesmerized by this but a sudden realization struck me. I was once again within my body, in the car. The AC was on so it was nice and warm. I was not like the drops of water. I was not being swayed by some silent tragic and yet hopeful symphony. The glass on the windscreen that allowed me to see the wonderful subtlety of the world at that moment did not allow me to physically interact with it. The outside was separated from me. It then occurred to me that that was exactly how I lived each day. With a screen in front of me I can see what goes on in the world but I can't interact with it. Each human contact I receive was at first superficial. I was just viewing them from behind my mind'd glass shield. Only a select few would get in and join the ride and everybody else did the same. All human beings in society have that invisible shield in them. It protects them from unwanted or unnecessary damage.
Therefore I came to the conclusion that all of us live behind a certain screen. Only when we step away from it and physically or even emotionally connect with others through whatever means possible can we truly be free from ourselves and partake of the wondrous joys and agonizing sorrows of reality and life.
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