In theory one is aware that the earth revolves, but in practice one does not perceive it, the ground upon which one treads seems not to move, and one can live undisturbed. So it is with Time in one's life. -- Marcel Proust
I have identified a terrific new word--and that word is--"undisturbed."
And what a great word--and what a great feeling--when you can feel this in your life.
Some clarification may be in order. Undisturbed is a state of being. It is a choice of what stimuli that you are going to choose to let into your life. You can be undisturbed and be listening to rock music. You can be watching the clouds roll by. Gardening. Cooking in the kitchen. Working on just about any old thing that makes you happy, as long as no “disturbing” elements are allowed to creep into your special place. The disturbing elements are what you choose them to be. At times to my wife it could be me. Probably more than I like to think that it is true but I am OK with that. To me it can be as simple a thing as our cat meowing needily at me or chipmunks digging in the flowers. Unnerving!
You have to find a way to make the noise stop ringing in your brain. Being mindfully mindless, so to speak.
No phone calls.
No demands to answer questions.
No knocks on the doors.
No places that you have to be.
No times that you have to honor either by being someplace or doing some specific task.
No guilt (if that is even possible).
We must come to a mutual agreement--a respect for others autonomy and joy--so we can all pursue the undisturbed state. Each of us travels a different path and experiences strange and wonderful sensations in order to evolve into the spirit we are to be. As Blaise Pascal said, even "Cold is agreeable, that we may get warm."
Do what you must to get warm.
Posts
4 comments:
We all have our own social solar system. Planets revolving around us do not bother us as long as they are of our own choosing. Let an uninvited planet come in and chaos results. As I age I find that this is as it should be. Should have been that way all along but as youths we were programmed to be flexible and it didn’t work. All that caused was stress that bottled itself up as a grumpy old man. There may be hope in retirement.
Wow! Scott, you made my head hurt this time with your deep philosophy. And I agree with everything and I am really trying to fight the grumpy old man developing inside me.
Too bad the cat can't catch the chipmunks. Another dysfunctional family member! Just want to let you know that you don't disturb me--in a bad way, anyway. Love, The Wife
Perhaps a family is defined by the dysfunctional relationships, most often times minor quirks, that form the dynamics of people and the world that they dwell in.
Post a Comment