Experience tells me that when life starts moving to all directions, but not forward, it is time to pause and stop this automatic motion. More often than not, I find myself blinded by the illusion of having too much to do, and no time to enjoy what fulfills me. During those moments, even challenging that illusion appears to be a bold movement.
That morning, I decided to go for a walk.
The sky was a blend of clustered clouds and vast openness. I walked near the water, and started listening to the small waves clashing against the rocks. There is something about being near water that calms me down. Then, I remembered that it has been a long time since I was near the ocean by myself. I realized that I have not been alone with my thoughts for some time now. That solitude that I used to seek often in order to be able to decompress from the stress of the day was completely absent in my life. I was feeling overwhelmed and not doing anything to relieve it. I was accumulating negative thoughts, emotions, and situations. That morning, while having all these conclusions about the self, I knew that it was time to take a moment to just be present.
The picture shown above was from that day. I wanted to have a memento of the day where I remembered how essential is to have periods of solitude. How important it is to stop for one minute, realize how small one is compared to the sky and the universe, and be okay with that. I feel that when one sees things with that perspective, suddenly, our problems are not that significant.
During that morning, at that minute, I reached a moment of clarity.
A song was inspired after letting go all that tension. Please, listen below “Still Patiently Overwhelming.”
In Solitude,
-E.
