The tremors of goodness

A sunny day in our bay….@MaggieHongKong

Today I take in the limitless blue. Today I take in the insatiable green.Today I take in the insects concertino at 7am, one louder than the other. Today I take in every detail as I welcome a brand new day.

There is something around solar storms that take me by surprise. I could have known better and I could have just surrendered into doing nothing from the get-go. I somehow just received the news about the solar storms at the end of what would have been an active Saturday, and this is when I came to peace with my sofa. The rest of the day was spent like a pendulum between watching the beach, measuring mentally the time to reach the beach, giving up the beach and taking a nap.

A little miracle did happen and pulling on some serious effort, the nominated beach has been also visited. My hope in the universe has been entirely restored.

I only share all these details to simply normalize in a formal way to myself really , that I do spiral on Saturdays when I believe that this precious free time should not be that free. A syndrome I came to accept only recently. It takes too many hours for my mind to settle into not feeling guilty about it. No matter how kind I tend to be to myself. It got only resolved when I found some information about the solar storms. That made sense finally in my universe. Pfff…… You can now feel my pain too, I am sure.

I mostly wonder about other observations these couple weeks and definitely couple two months with plenty of changes and adjustments going on.

Casual conversations turn at times as a little earthquake in my system. This metaphor came to mind precisely because I was at my desk during a light earthquake in our city this week. I remained perfectly calm, knowing that our city is not quite at risk. I counted 2-3 shocks. And just kept writing. There was a clear sense of neutrality. I would not call it indiference - the big mental note that we are safe when a light earthquake hits the city, was almost invisible at first.

I sat with it for a while much later while enjoying the view some time later. And my observation shocked me more than the tremors. The safety was a given. I ceased appreciating it. Being home, in my element, not influenced by any sort of collective reaction, let me suspended in time for few minutes and without any sense of wonder, I simply return to whatever I was doing.

It took me back to some previous experiences when safety was at risk, when collective panic was high and I could remember even today, the relief and the appreciation that we were alive. Families safe. No one injured in our immediate vicinity, yet perhaps many have been affected by the two major earthquakes I witnessed. The relief that we were lucky and made it was surreal and hence the prayers that ensued, the gratitude.

I am sort of intrigued to learn more on why we appreciate what we have so much when we escape a critical point. Yet, we barely think to express our gratitude out loud even after a small set of tremors. I would like to turn this into a new vow of gratitude for recognizing safety around us, recognizing safety in our circle of family and friends, for recognizing the power of this word and state.

Our mind take count of contrasts, yet it barely acknowledges the good things. Let us make an effort to turn this perspective around and observe all the good tremors, the good ripples.

Do you see hearts in everything? @MaggieHongKong

Deeper in my quest, I then took on a challenge. I went back to my past two weeks and looked for the good tremors. For the underneath waves that looked on the surface like a still lake, for the magic wands yet hidden, for the kind gestures like someone selecting a coffee for me based on what I liked, for the hug at the end of a long day. I went back and traced a the tremors of goodness that were so incredible! That is the word. They seemed to be incredible. I recollect this beautiful afternoon, sipping a coffee under a nice late afternoon light, listening to an important conversation that carries meaning to me and suddenly asking myself” Is that possible that someone pays attention to my words, and comes back with goodness?”

The words were not literally those, but the scene is real. I am also aware that I somehow master an aloof look as I am not always the great enthusiast when I am living a sort of after-shock. I must have looked indiferent and maybe even not interested at first. I did find my words, at last. Thanks goodness!

It is not the first time that I loose myself in some mysterious aloofness. Totally without any intention. While I have answers plentiful for what is going on, I did try to pinch myself and have a one-on-one on the ferryboat back”The thing that just happened, it is what you have asked for. Someone was paying attention and they met you half way. This is a bridge of goodness. “I kept repeating “ Have they just listened and met me half way. ?”

I have been used for such a long time to keep explaining or negotiating , that I have blind-folded the possibility that good things happen. To me too. Good things happen to you too.

Would you take a vow alongside me to embrace the ripples of day dreaming, to embrace the fact that hope is not only a concept. Hope bears fruits. I have felt I have received a basket of berries ( you might remember the book The Service Berry).

And to add a bit of goofiness that is equally real, I did receive a bag of jungle bananas and papaya from my neighbours. That too. Delicious sweet bananas. Hope bears fruits.

Just a little note from Dana Faulds: Healing Journey from:

Dana Faulds, Breath of Joy

Ga gently into the good day,

Appreciating the play

Of opposites, the way

Sunlight chases frost crystals

Off the grass blades

As dawn melts into morning.

[…..]

Go gently into this good day,

Faith rising to the occasion,

Fear receding just enough

To reveal the next step

On your healing journey.”

See you soon lovely friends. May hope bring you berries and bananas and papayas and all the fruits that make your heart reverberate.

And, on a different note, you can also join me for a 30 minutes live meditation on each Sunday in June at 9.30pm Hong Kong time. Link here.

Mindful June with Maggie