HOW TO FIND QUIET IN A NOISY WORLD
The outer world can be annoying and loud.
We can’t make neighbors, traffic, children, repair work, leaf blowers and more to turn off at our demand.
The only thing your can do is turn off your mind.
Easier said than done.
How do you withdraw your attention from the outer world?
It might take some practice, but it can be done.
Take a silence break.
The bedrock of turning your mind is the breath. We take it for granted, until it is our last one.
Turn attention to your breath right now.
Take a breath, and notice it entering your nose, warming it, and feel it expand into your body.
Rest for a moment.
Then let the breath slowly release from your body. Rest.
And again. Slowly receive the breath from all the air around you, surrounding you.
And slowly let that air return to the atmosphere.
We live in air, surrounded by air, sustained by air.
We recognize it even more in this time of compromised air.
AN INNER SANCTUARY
It helps to create an inner sanctuary of some kind.
A hut…a cave…a boat on the ocean…a cloud drifting by…
A star in a night sky…a leaf floating down the stream…
Merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream.
Our resistance — to noise, to pain, to unpleasant memories -
Is the source of pain.
All you can do is embrace it all …embrace the sadness…embrace the noise….
Embrace the pain…embrace the bad memories…and let it be.
Yes, easier said than done…but it can be done.
Just practice.
Peace and quiet is just a breath away.
