Photo by Charles Elliott
So often we wonder how we can change our reality when maybe the reality we want is right in front of us and we’d see it if we opened to the present moment.
Our minds are usually filled with, I have tos, I wish I hads, what ifs, etc. When are we present? Maybe we don’t like our lives because we fill them with so many thoughts about the past and future that we hardly know what the present looks like. What if we just stopped? Just stopped thinking, doing, moving. What would you notice?
Yesterday I visited Rose Hills Memorial Park. Not only is there nothing like a cemetery to put things into perspective, it’s also a very beautiful place. The roses are in full bloom and the graves are covered with Easter flowers and gifts to loved ones no longer sharing this moment in body. I visited the highest point where there stands an amazing Buddhist temple and cemetery. This temple, with Chinese Palace architecture, looks out over a green canyon and in the distance you can see downtown LA. I stood looking out over the green hills with the sounds of Buddhist chants in my ears and the wind or Spirit giving me goose bumps. My eyes, filled with tears, just took in what was right in front of them…reality.
Simply experiencing what is rather than what we think should be changes the ordinary into a powerful moment. It's very difficult to do, but we miss so many of life's everyday gifts when we don't. Thanks for the reminder to do that. Beautiful picture, btw.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to do, but so worth it. The feeling was amazing...makes you want to live in that place all the time.
ReplyDeleteI'll tell my husband you like the picture.