Since I wrote Shine your wisdom through me, I became much more aware of something truly remarkable. And, I am talking about Living in the flow. You know, This magical time where it seems that everything just works out so perfectly. And, at the same time, effortlessly. It’s like magic, only real. In fact, you barely have to do anything at all. But, somehow, things still get done. As if someone extremely gifted is helping you out. Divine intervention, if you will. Not to mention, all these wild synchronicities.
Then, you got to wonder. Were they here the all time? Perhaps now, that I am more aware, I don’t overlook them as much.
Anyways, today, as I was “rewarding” my body with an abs workout, a realization came to me. Just like that, as I was hanging upside down trying to complete a set. Once again, a fraction of a second, a massive download of life changing wisdom. And, while the “being” side in me totally got it immediately, the human-mind side didn’t. So, it took me awhile to reduce-explain this in words. It’s a way my mind can understand. And, as you know, this writing is how I usually do it. It definitely helps me, and I would like to believe it may benefit us all.
Walking in the orchard
Imagine you are walking in this beautiful garden that has all your favorite fruit trees. Now, imagine they are all perfectly ripe. And, because of that, you don’t even have to climb the tree or do anything. You walk next to your favorite fruit tree, and boom! Your favorite fruit appears right in front of you. And, it is about to fall to the ground. So you reach out, and without any effort grab it and take a bite. Yum! The aroma, the juiceness, the sweetness. All the flavors…I mean, I salivate just writing this, and I am not even hungry!
Then, you continue to walk in this gorgeous garden, only to find different fruits, all “competing” for your attention. All perfectly ripe. And, all you need to do is to reach out and eat.
As you walk in the garden, you also notice other fruit trees that are less appealing to you. But, with such a variety, you barely give them any attention. In fact, after a while, you don’t even see them anymore.
So, not surprisingly, you decided to stay in this beautiful garden. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months. Everyday, you ate as much as you liked, and didn’t have to do anything at all. “This must be heaven”, you were thinking. “Everything is so delicious, the flavor seems to just keep getting better”. In fact, the more you ate, the more you appreciated all these subtle fruity notes. Now, with all this abundance, you completely forgot what hunger feels like. Not to mention, the food you used to eat before.
Then, its gone! What happened?
Then, one day, you woke up and something felt different. “Oh well”, you told yourself. “I am going to grab a juicy mango and start my day right.” So, you got up and start walking towards the tree. But, wait a minute. Where is it? You can’t find it anywhere. “No worries, let’s go with the papayas.” You can’t get wrong with some delicious juicy papayas, right? Well, guess what? you can’t find them either. Bananas? Gone. Pineapples? Nope. In fact, you can’t find any of these fruit trees anymore. What is going on?
So now, you start to freak out. Not because you are hungry, but because something doesn’t feel right. You have spent the entire day looking for fruits only to find nothing. And, I mean, nada. Not even a single berry. Then, when the evening came, there was this strong fear inside of you. “Am I going to starve to death?” Now, after all these months of pigging out eating all these fruits, you weren’t really hungry. But, the fear still came.
Eventually, after a whole day of running around, you found an old apple tree. You had to climb and ended up with bruises all over. It wasn’t easy. Definitely not pretty. But, eventually, you were able to find a few green apples. They were however, tart and not very fresh, or ripe.
Sadly, with sorrow and despair…you went to sleep.
And, it’s here again. But, was it ever gone?
Unfortunately for you, this no-fruit situation went on for months. And, you ended up eating whatever you could find. Nothing tasty, but you did manage to survive. It just that you had to really put a lot of effort. And, the fruits you got, were really not that great. The reward for all your hard work was pretty…lame, to say the least.
But, you got used to it. And, you accepted this. After a while, you even stopped to think about all these delicious fruits. In fact, this “Garden of Eden” seemed like a distant memory somewhere on the horizon. Was it all just a dream?
Then, one day, you woke up and something felt different. Wait a minute! It’s that familiar aroma! Is it possible? You asked yourself eagerly. Immediately, you jumped and got up to check the garden. Yup! Everything is here. Ripe and ready. And, as this is not enough, you now see a beautiful woman walking your direction smiling at you. Let’s call her Eve. She’s holding a fresh juicy apple in her hand looking absolutely stunning.
So amazing all of this is, that you completely forgot about all this time you had to eat those tart plain horrible fruits. In fact, something in you starts to doubt that time has ever happened. “Is it possible”, you then wonder. “Is it possible that the garden was never gone?”
Was the garden ever gone?
Guess what, the garden was there the entire time. It was never gone. What changed, was the personal point of view. Or, the mindset. Or simply, the mind. In our daily life we are constantly bombarded with all kind of stressors and things that grab our attention. Quite aggressively. With all this “inner noise”, it is no wonder then, that we can’t see any fruit trees. Not to mention, our beautiful Eve. Or, Adam. Or, even the garden.
Just like driving your car when the windshield is dirty. You are probably going to miss a few turns. In fact, you may be driving in a place like Hawaii, and not even realize it. I mean, with all this mud on your windshield, it’s hard sometimes to see anything.
Similarly, we can think about our life, as a road with an infinite number of turns we can take. Each turn, another possibility. And, each possibility may open a door to an infinite number of new possibilities.
But, are we aware of all these turns? And, how do we know which turn to take?
Let life come to you
And, here’s the point behind this entire story. This realization I mentioned earlier. Perhaps, there’s a way. A way we can be aware of all these turns and possibilities. Or at the very least, not miss as much.
What if, we simply, put “ourselves” aside. And by that, I mean our personal story, beliefs, thoughts, ideas. Even our goals, desires, and dreams. I am talking about all this mind stuff that makes our self image. Or, the idea of the “person”. You know, the idea we have about our “identity” and place in this world. If we let all of these go, there’s no past anymore. There’s no history. You, are starting fresh without any luggage or heavy baggage you need to carry with you.
So, let’s let all of these go. Now, what remains? How would you see the world? How would you see yourself in this world?
Let this sink in. Then, just be. And, start your day.
You are now driving this road with a completely new vehicle with a brand new windshield. And, it is crystal clear. In fact, you can see everything miles away. HD, quality.
Watch the road. Enjoy the ride! And, simply, allow life, (the road), come to you. Now, you may find you need to take some turns, or run some errands, and that’s ok. I mean, we don’t live in a bubble, and we all have responsibilities.
But, there’s more here than actions you take
This goes above and beyond actions. Or, what you end up doing. Because a “turn” or a possibility are not just actions you take. A thought, is also a turn. Even a feeling or emotion are possibilities. Where you decide to put your attention, is a possibility as well. One out of infinite possibilities.
So, we are not talking here about a “personal” mindset, but a more broader point of awareness. One that doesn’t even have a story. One that doesn’t focus on personal benefit or gain, because, there are no personal views here.
In other words, there is no story here. It’s not about you, your life, it’s not about the fruits, or the garden. Not even about Eve.
Instead, you view things as they are. And that includes your own actions, thoughts and interactions with other people at the moment they happen. You them accept what has just happened, and decide:
Do I want to take this turn? Do I want to pick this fruit?
Or, perhaps I rather not take this turn and keep driving because it’s not that appealing to me right now.
And then…the magic of the moment
Moment after moment, you watch closely. Internally and externally. This must feel fresh. After all, you have a new vehicle. And, your past is gone. Also, there’s no personal view to defend or chase. Nothing to limit you or narrow your view. Simply, let the magic of the moment come to you. And, don’t be surprised if all of a sudden, you will see Eve in the back seat. Holding a big basket full of fresh yummy fruits. How did she even get there?
