Thunderous peace of mind
Last night a severe thunderstorm rolled into my city unannounced by the forecasters who tend to be only right a tiny bit more than chance it seems. While the downpour was not unwelcomed by the flora and fauna who have been desperately thirsting, begging the sky for relief, its unexpected arrival caught more than a few two-legged furless mammals off guard including myself.
As the wind pushed through a slightly open-door hinge to whistle at me as it demanded my attention, I walked outside to ensure that everything was firmly planted to the ground on the patio and not beginning a whirlwind adventure to neighbors’ lands. The wind blustered in bursts as I looked around when suddenly the drops of rain began to fall so hard it almost looked like small impacts against the wet ground.
The downpour now having my full attention caused me to just watch and listen; watching the rain pummel the ground, watching the lightening light up the sky like a searchlight in the dark night sky, listening to the thunder that followed like a drummer making the rolling rounds of all the drums from left to right and listening to the rain drops sounding like a symphony of instruments tuning before a big performance. There would be moments when the rain would die down because the wind had suddenly stopped blowing and the silence of the night would take over with the only small sounds of dripping water from the leaves and eaves. Then the next moment the wind would explode with a new force and drench the already soaked dirt with new vigor creating the next cacophony of sound against the rooftops, the car windows, the concrete, and the trees. As I stood there watching nature in all her glory and rage, I was reminded how the sound of the rain and the act of being around nature always had a calming effect on my system as if it were a siren’s call tempting me towards peace of mind.
Peace of mind is a funny thing. Something I never quite understood completely until recently. I was listening to a person who was conducting a guided meditation session. He was saying how some believe that when humans were hunters and gatherers our minds were believed to be quieter. It was in a hunt or be hunted state which required us to listen and be silent more. However, in recent history our mind is always active. That when we stop talking aloud, we will often find our mind continuing to talk whether that be about an upcoming task, what we want for our next meal, when we should clean out our closets or anything at all just to fill in the silence that abruptly started with our verbal hush. Even when listening to music, our minds will supply the mental void space on the next lyric, what the lyrics mean or even what the next song might be that we want to listen to. And it’s this distinct lack of peace of mind that can cause anxiety and stress as we constantly are moving from one topic to another.
So, finding peace, or actual quiet, of the mind, is no longer something that comes innately to humans. It is something that must be actively worked at if we want to achieve it. While I may not believe all of the explanation he was giving, the more I became aware of just how much my mind continued conversations and how little my mind actually was devoid of thought, the more I wanted to ensure that I practiced “peace of mind” more actively given the sense of tranquility it filled me when I achieved that harmony. But I was only thinking of those moments I mentally exerted control and set aside time to do such.
In that moment of nature reminding me there is only so many things I could control I decided to stop, like I would back in college in the forests surrounding the dorm, and just continue to watch and listen focusing on whatever caught my attention but actively not thinking about what I was focusing on. And just like then when there was nothing happening that I could see, I let my focus drift to the sky softening my gaze to just focusing on the sounds that were hitting my ears without thinking what they were or how they were made.
Standing there I could feel my shoulders and arms release tension I wasn’t aware I was holding. I felt calmer in my body and mind. A sense that everything was going to be alright. While I sat and watched the rain pour down in certain moments and become lighter in others, I would take deep breaths in to reinforce that calm. I continued to watch as other people around me ran through the rain clearly not having planned for the rain that was now soaking them on their way to where they were headed while feeling or thinking nothing about their situations. Just observing and breathing and nothing more. It was meditation but guided by nature and not guided by someone talking me through it.
It's not the moments that you can steal away that make the difference when searching for peace of mind. It’s the moments that are thrusted in your way like a sudden severe thunderstorm calling you to take the moment that was given and appreciate nature’s ability to soothe the stressors of that day or minute. You can spare a few minutes just to detangle and unwind your mind to be at rest while listening to the “ting ting ting” of the rain hitting whatever it encounters whether that be an umbrella or a sidewalk.
Next time you run into something that you find pleasing, try and focusing on it without thinking. See how your arms, shoulders and body feel as you just focus. It doesn’t have to be long. Even 5 minutes can make a difference with Nature your guide.
