Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Tiny Speck in the Universe


Something in the air seems to have changed but I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what.  I took a short walk on my lunch hour today.  I was surrounded by the proverbial concrete jungle with tall glass skyscrapers and manufacturing buildings everywhere I looked.  In the distance, the sound of the 405 Freeway hummed loudly with busy travelers no doubt focused on their destination unaware of the journey they were in that moment taking.  Not resonating well with this limited perspective, I shifted my presence and then my gaze and found a beautiful tree in the middle of a parking lot.  It was beautifully green with an abundance of leaves  etched in fine golden light and it’s aura unmistakably glowing against the backdrop of a deep and clear cerulean sky.  When I fine tuned my perspective a little more, I could hear the birds singing and happened to notice a briar patch serving as home to a nesting pair of mocking birds.  I stood motionless when I saw them as I knew they could not keep quiet long.  I was not disappointed mere moments later when they picked up a beautiful tune seemingly just enjoying the sunlight and the tasks at hand.  Just like me today, just enjoying the sunlight and my tasks at hand.

I’ve decided to reel in all of my far reaching thoughts and keep them a little closer to home and for good reason.  Stretching the mind far and wide with impossible thoughts as much as the imagination will endeavor can cause a soul to lose focus on the journey.  There are aspects of an outstretched and open mind that are just so beautiful to experience.  I must admit that I am guilty of often letting my mind wander where ever it will seeking out great mysteries of creation to contemplate or diving so deep into gratitude and sheer appreciation for life.  I’m certain that at times I must look half crazy walking around the city looking up at the birds and the trees with a huge smile on my face.

Continuing my walk I came to the corner of a very busy street where my building was located.  Some think the city is awful with all of its manufactured steel and glass but I was standing on the corner tuning out the sounds of the cars and focusing on a giant building covered in every square inch by mirrored windows.  Those windows reflected a beautiful fountain running below, the trees artfully place around its campus and even the sky.  I walked a little closer and I saw my own tiny reflection in the glass.  I looked so very small reflected in the giant sky scraper and I realized what an amazing metaphor for life I had just visually stumbled upon.

Life is vast, amazing and the Earth…so very large and beautiful.  When I think of me in comparison to everything else, I can’t help but laugh.  I am a very tiny being when you consider my stature on the face of the planet and then moving further out, an unrecognizable speck in an endless universe.  It feels good to be a tiny little speck of existence today.  When I consider all of the amazing aspects that all of existence contains and I realize I am a part of a living breathing whole of an organism I don’t have the proper framework to fully understand, I get excited.  Why?  Well, that means I have so very much to learn and I’ll never ever really suffer boredom or dull routine and complacency.  I came here to experience life and to learn about this world and this little corner of the galaxy and I intend to do just that.  I was so happy in my thoughts I nearly lost track of time.  My cell phone was ringing concerning some prep work for a meeting I was about to attend back inside under the dreaded fluorescent lights.  Ugh!  Speaking of the tasks at hand, I realized I had to get back to it.  As much as I’m grateful for the beauty in this world I am also grateful for those tasks I agreed to participate in no matter how mundane or difficult they might seem to be.  I’m lucky in that I work with some amazing souls and we’re in the business of helping people within the framework of Corporate America that we find ourselves in.  I love that!  I sigh a little as I begin the walk back to my building.  Just as I reached the back door, I paused a moment taking in more blue skies knowing a few of my favorite souls are out there walking under that gorgeous sunlight.  That made me smile.  I sent them all the love in the world I could muster in that moment, took a deep breath and then let it out very slowly.   Back to business I went, recharged, ever hopeful and ready to keep on making a difference everywhere I can.

(Photos are random internet finds and I do not own the copyright to them).

No comments:

Post a Comment