The gently undulating graceful flow of thoughts, images and words that come and go and then, there come memories, from the labyrinthine passages of the mind—that magical place from where everything seems to rise and fall, through time.
I watch every thought, and quietly motion to each of them, to sit by my side, quietly, before I let them on their path, as they glide away into the flowing waters. I am taken by how they make me feel, by turns— happy…mellow…sad…exuberant..worrisome…angst-ridden…even thoughtful and despondent. As they leave my side, I realise why the wise say —”Nothing stays!” In fact, I never knew it better than I know now— that everything is temporal in this life…everything that we cling on to, everything we hold dear…everything we are attached to, by our love, our passion, our affections and our fears…Yet, I wonder why, in spite of such learnings, we still struggle every day, unable to come to terms with our mortality. The fear of death, of sickness, of loss, of failure, and what not….the list is endless.
For some reason, my mind has been turbulent today, and there have been storms raging quietly under the surface, unseen by those around—the real raging storms that made me feel very vulnerable, all those fears on what awaits me tomorrow.
Words come rushing to fill in every little space in my consciousness… things I read, things that people said and things I said to myself, all the time…the good and the not-so-good ones! What do I do with them?
Today, I do not wish to judge these thoughts as they flow away. I just wish to let them be,,,I like to watch them go, floating, like dead leaves, slowly disappearing under a quiet steam. Moments drift by…life goes on, the minutes pass, irrespective of how I feel.
Outside, the world remains as it is, unperturbed, undisturbed. Everything goes on, as it should be.
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Written as part of our #SoulfulSunday freewriting exercise—a concept ideated by Vinitha, Shilpa and yours truly.
I love the way your words flow. It seems like a gentle breeze.
One of the things I want to do in the coming year is to renew a practice of journaling. Writing thoughts, letting go of them – for now – while knowing I can always open the page and think, or reflect on how my thoughts and feelings have changed – works better for me than meditation.
So true that thoughts and everything in life are really temporal but then what is this need to cling onto the belief that we might be immortal. I love how you have written the ebb and flow of thoughts coming and going Esha – sounds very therapeutic when I read it
Writing these turbulent thoughts would have definitely made you feel lighter. Hugs.
Just today I read somewhere that do not react to your thoughts but just observe them. do not judge your thoughts. Then I came across this beautiful writing of yours. Love and hugs Di
My Yoga teacher would tell me not to judge my thoughts. They are just thoughts, that take birth in our mind, stay awhile, and then move away. Holding on to them will only bring heartache, esp if they are unpleasant ones, which they usually are!
Sometimes we need the storm to pass before we react and respond. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Esha
Not judging our thoughts and feelings can be such a freeing experience. I love these free writes from you, Esha.
Reading this beautiful post took me to a meditative state, dear Esha. To observe the thoughts that float around and let go of the judgmental remarks as dead leaves is almost always difficult. But by practicing a little mindfulness maybe eventually I might get there. How insightful is this write up! 🤗❤️