One Morning.......

It is quiet. I would say eerily but in truth, not at all eerie. It is very pleasant. Maybe I am more sensitive to sounds or maybe it is the summer with all its glorious sounds in the heat. All I hear is the gentle hum/buzz of some insect somewhere, a bird every now and then looking for that worm, and of course the sound of a car whizz by which made me wonder “how did they?”. What is pronounced though is the gentle sound of the rain. I sure am glad. It is expected to rain 100% today and if the rain had to choose a day, I am glad it is today. There is a feeling of goodness in the air, of course, the fog only adds to the charm. The surroundings remind me of one another trip we had taken – deep in the jungles, no electricity, only pronounced sounds of nature all around us with time stretching like an infinite carpet making us wonder what to do yet forcing us to stay still and simply enjoy!

I finish practicing yoga for the day. This has been a challenge for the longest time I can remember. Having a regular practice, I mean! As I breathe in and out, I am aware of the sound of my breathing. I am also aware of the lack of noises, the usual flow of the water in the pond, the gentle buzz of all the electronics around me, the electric clocks, even the refrigerator humming in the background. I wonder if the lights around me also made subtle sounds. I also realize I have one too many clocks around - one on the stove, the microwave, the kitchen radio, not to forget the DVD player, the music system! But right now, on the mat, the only sound I hear is the tick-tock of my cuckoo clock. The stillness is beautiful. The absence of all the sounds is pronounced. I can assure you that the sound of a vehicle passing by feels loud, the light from the cell phone feels bright! I even had done a full hour yoga without the usual streaming video to guide me. Only the silence, the stillness, and the pronounced sounds of nature around me.

I am ready for some coffee only to realize that I cannot have any! DH comes down, we sit around for a few minutes on the couch not knowing what to do. I look through the windows and the world outside is still breath-taking. We sit out the next hour, he trying to catch up on stuff on his phone and me with a book. It is time to get started for the day. I step into the bathroom to get ready for the day, automatically turn the light on only to realize I cannot! I smile thinking of the bright busy world I will step into after this prolonged silence and quietness. As turn the audio book on I am not at all surprised that the chapter I am on is about “silence” as contemplated by Ramana Maharshi. I am not at all surprised yet at the same time I am surprised that I do not feel rushed at all this morning. If anything, I feel like I have all the time in the world. Perhaps not having all those gadgets flashing time, rushing me to nowhere has made all the difference.

After all didn’t I wake up startled in the morning to an alarm that didn’t go off, the clock radio that did not show the time, the houses around the house through the window looking eerily dark and quiet? Yes, I woke up to a power failure and that gave me a glimpse of what a day could be like without power! As I drive back from work, I certainly hope that the power is back on! As much as I had enjoyed the morning, I know what it means to not work hard for a cup of coffee, or turn that switch on and see that bulb light up a room but I decide to turn off all those clocks around me. I could enjoy some quiet time ever so often without being rushed or reminded of the hour.

 

Dear Vani,

It is always a pleasure to hear from you and such a lovely quote by Tagore. It is interesting that I was also reading something similar by Shankara but somewhat opposite I think -

"The five senses are sound, touch, sight, taste and smell. Animals that are slaves of any one of them often pay the price by their life.

A deer follows the sound (of its calf) and becomes a prey. An elephant is enslaved by its vulnerability of touch behind the head. A moth is driven to the flame by its sight. A fish is baited by its longing for taste. A bee loses its life when it gets trapped in the lotus which attracted it by smell.

What can now be told of us humans who are driven by all the five senses?"

The silence is indeed in us but how do we find it?

As for yoga, it has been a journey - I am not yet consistent with an hours practice and I envy all the teachers who I know who practice that way. I try to take motivation from them. I succeed only sometimes!

 

Dear Rihana,

As always such a warm response and you are indeed so poetic. I can see your mindfullness coming through when you respond! How come you have power cuts? But it can be a blessing too! My family is a 'go, go, go' family. Camping is out of question - so enjoyed your thoughts so much! While we are always on the go, we do enjoy a lot of hiking! We were fortunate just a couple of weeks ago to head into the boonies (as we say here) to watch the night sky. The less I speak of that, better

Hope you and family are keeping well, bonding together as you experience togetherness with your loved ones like the rest of the world!

 

Dear Syamala,

the first sentence that struck was "life goes on at the same pace with or without power" I used to love those schdeuled power cuts on my trips to India and kids had gotten used to the idea that no power means park! We are so dependent on electricity here that I did ponder a lot about it - starting with coffee to opening of garage to shower to what not! It certainly helped take on the day with a better attitude (knowing that power won't be restored for a few hours) , thanks to the lovely world around me!

Thank you as always for your warm feedback!

 

Dear Kamla,

What a delight and a special treat for today's morning for me, to not only get one response but two for both my snippets. Thank you my friend, thank you!

You are right about the sounds around us and getting used to them. Sudden silence can make us feel what actual silence is. You know, I was talking to my students this past week about land formations and somehow the conversation turned to caves. Visiting a cave here long ago, I remember the guide as he turned off the faint lights in the cave tell us "if the darkness does not kill you, the silence will!" I agree with him for we all need that silence despite the noise around us - how we cultivate that, how aware we are of our surroundings and how long we can maintain that silence will help us.

You brought tears in my eyes Kammo! You are right as much as I love silence, I need the sounds of nature. I am no survivor in a cave!

It is indeed a pleasure to read you. Thank you for responding here. Thank you!