It’s late – you should be asleep. You should be resting and dreaming, yet those questions keep firing in your mind like the finale of a 4th of July fireworks show.
I’ve been told that I’m not allowed to share the secret, so I keep whispering in your ear as your mind, that beautifully complicated operating system, wrestles me every step of the way.
Let me show you.
You ask for the secret of life. You ask for ways to find peace amidst the perceived chaos and bustle of the world you chose to visit.
You wonder - long after the sunset - about the experiences you collected and those feelings you felt. You wonder with words like, “why”, and phrases like, “how come”?
Each time you ask – is there ever a pause? No. There isn’t. There is no pause between thought and answer and that was by design. There is no pause when thoughts flood like rising rivers. There is no pause when thoughts create perceptions that quickly morph into realities. There is no pause when reflection of experience diminishes.
I was with someone last night and they lie in their bed and the questions rolled like a thunderstorm. Claps of thunder, strikes of lightning, no pause – just more noise.
The questions bait your mind- “How will I”? “Why did she”? “What if I”? “When will they”?
One after the other – the questions are forged, and no action is taken. No gaps of time are demanded. You can’t appreciate the clap of thunder or the strike of lightning. No time allowed to process – what a beautiful plan indeed.
You’ve thought you were asking the questions and that is a mistake. These rapid-fire questions serve a bigger purpose. Allow me to explain. First, you aren’t asking those questions at night, on the drive, while sitting at work, while visiting your friends, or wherever your mind wanders – I am. You and that mind of yours are here to observe, to experience, to appreciate, to learn, to love. That’s the secret.
My role - I’m here to test you. I’m here, on those dark nights, while the tossing and turning commences. I’m here whispering those questions. I’m not supposed to tell you this, but today, I will. You can use that mind of yours to mute those questions. You can choose to flip off that noise by changing your mind’s routine. Instead of listening to those questions, choose to reflect on what you did today, who you met today, how you felt, today. Reflection is the secret because it allows you to appreciate the beauty of what you experienced. It won’t take long for you to quiet my noise, to appreciate your day, and to fall asleep fast or stay focused on that drive or to stay engaged with your friends and family. The tossing and turning comes when you listen to me and not to your heart. You would never visit a lake and ponder why those waves eroded that beach? The wave did what it did, and the beach responded the way it responded. Experience over. Beautiful and powerful, so treat each day, each experience, each blessing or challenge like you would while viewing the dance between a lake and a beach.
Your daily routine has become and is akin to sabotage and abuse and it’s eradicating your ability to rest, to heal, to grow. I know this, because I was created to challenge you.
Who am I?
I’m Distraction
God bless all of you- and may He send peace and learnings to you during your times on this planet.
Much love- Trav
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