only in still water that we can see
in the morning, i would wake before all the rest.
the sun barely over the horizon provided just enough light for me to find my way through the trees to the place that i sought. with a blanket wrapped around me and a cup of tea in hand, i would sit at her edge . . .
and it is here i would find quiet. stillness. even if for just a few brief moments.
it always amazed me. that this fierce and powerful lake by day - with waves and a current that could rival that of an ocean - would begin and end, each and every day in stillness. in fact, it was often hard for me to believe she was ever one and the same.
every morning, i would allow her stillness to wash over me. her serene and glass-like surface to become my own reflection. and noted that anytime her surface became disturbed - she knew to let the ripples go. so, once again, her natural state could be returned.
later in the day, however, the lake was almost daunting. my reflection, nowhere to be found. the mirror surface replaced by the daily onslaught of activity and waves. and then again, just before the sun would set, she would once again return to her tranquil state of morning.
here i learned a powerful lesson: no matter what the day brings. no matter how busy, hectic, or frenetic. begin and end each day in my natural state . . . stillness.
these days, there is no lake for me to seek my daily respite. yet, still - i wake before all the rest.
i make my tea and seek the quiet. warmer mornings, such as today, find me in my garden. reveling in my morning peace, i drink in the calm and untroubled beauty that surrounds me. and it becomes me.
and briefly, before it can be disturbed by my daily disasters . . . . i can once again, see my reflection.
*We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.*
Taoist Proverb
Posted by peg mulqueen at 8/22/2009 6:45 AM 
Categories: yoga, meditation, zen
Tags: tao yoga zen meditation
Categories: yoga, meditation, zen
Tags: tao yoga zen meditation
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