My ongoing journey of experiencing more stillness and creativity was epitomized recently by a turn of events that started with our cat, Macy. She brought the gift of a live chipmunk into the house and up the stairs. In a matter of minutes, I went from relaxing outside to looking like the man in this picture. The goal was catch and release and since neither happed, chasing a chipmunk was technically not an effective use of my time. But did I really have a choice?
In terms of my stillness journey, I could say that chasing thoughts that have caused anxiety over the years was a waste of time as well, but I have come to understand that I didn’t have a choice. As an example, my thoughts have included worrying about what others will think of me, so anxiety about the future. The kind of thoughts that are best to just let go and are often described with a “who cares what anybody else thinks” attitude.
In my experience this kind of letting go is much easier said than done. For years I really didn’t “see” these thoughts, so letting them go was not even an option. The step in the right direction in my life was getting space between those thoughts and my awareness of them. Through awareness, I’ve decreased the amount of time I spend chasing thoughts and I spend less time suffering as a result.
The subtle point I am making is that progress can be defined as simply beginning to see when we are being swept away by thinking that’s causing pain and keeping us from being in present. In the case of my chipmunk, being swept away might be described as, before I knew it I was standing on a chair in my closet. By adding the space of awareness, wasting time picking up a box, putting on boots, and grabbing a chair, could actually be a step in the right direction. How?
The same awareness that we are uselessly worrying about the future or chasing chipmunks, over time, begins to present options we could not see before. Options that might include taking a different approach, letting them go, or both. In the case of chipmunk who got away, we found him hanging out near the front door the next day. We simply opened the door and pointed him in the right direction. It turned out there was no need to chase, no need to worry.
Eric Averitt