Funny. I used to think of myself of some kind of intellectual with balls of steel. I see now how weak I have been. And something happened to me today among all the frightening and powerful anxiety I have been experiencing.. I finally asked for help. Not from any person but from the Universe. And not in a direct way. No it was just a thought, an idea that popped into my head. I then proceeded to take a nice shower and prepared for my trek across Redwood City. As I walked I draped my coat over my shoulder and at a reasonably steady pace made my way down Himmel Ave.
The sun was bright but not blinding. I felt exposed but didn't want to hide. I felt the world around me make sense as it had never previously. It was as if all that mindfulness meditation about living in the moment finally made sense to me. Existing with your surroundings. Not just the "me me me" mantra the we chant to ourselves without even realizing it.
And what if the ego really is my enemy? It cuases me to act impulsively. To desire things that I cannot have. Causes me stress when I don't get what I want. Anxiety. Depression. Somehow I think my psychiatrist won't believe me about all this. But, what if that is all it is?
The ego wants to separate us from ourselves and our surroundings. It is what drives us to do and say things that we can later regret. I have thought about this before but, it never quite stuck until today.
Where do I go from here Universe?
I just have to remember to live in the moment. After that everything will fall into place.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Frustration
I need to spend more time outside. Fuck it. You can use a pen. The laptop is killing you. Your creativity crushed by the offerings of the interwebs. Other people's thoughts take over. Distraction. Leading to procrastination. The death of your spirit. Sacrificed to entertainment. For what? A semi contented life of slavery to fashion and consumerism? Even when I am at my most entertained I feel the dark shadow of guilt wash over my mind every night when I lay down to sleep. Perhaps that explains why I often fall asleep with my laptop in bed beside me. Rocking my uneasy mind to sleep. For a time it works. It is routine. I am happy.
Then, the dreams come back. The nightmare begins and it all comes crashing down like a cliff over the dark sea that is my subconscious. It always has a way of beckoning me back to the stark realities that go ignored or undealt with. And then every night I fall over and over until I can't take it anymore. I reach for the smoke or the bottle to just pacify the cliffs of despair for just a little while. But the more I do the greater that cliff becomes. The sea of darkness grows ever deeper and its tide crashes ever harder against the rocks below. The the moon sets. There is no sun. The stars whir around, setting off total chaos in my universe. The cliff crashes violently into the oblivion. Several days pass. I almost drown. And only from a lack of swimming of which I am totally capable. I give in to the waves of obscurity and emptiness because they are all around me. Blinding me, calling to me. Strangling me. And although it is all too familiar it is a stranger to me. Fleeting and changing with time, becoming more powerful. More dangerous. Gaining on me.
There is a lighthouse though. And now I can see the bobbing boat tethered to the shore. The sun is rising and I can see that I am not far away. I wipe the water from my eyes and I can see blades of grass and small birds on the beach. They chirp and scurry about as they peck at small bugs on the sand. I smile and slowly make my way to the shore.
The shore is warm and welcoming. It holds me in its soft embrace. And I feel the warm light of the sun begin to give me hope again.
Then, the dreams come back. The nightmare begins and it all comes crashing down like a cliff over the dark sea that is my subconscious. It always has a way of beckoning me back to the stark realities that go ignored or undealt with. And then every night I fall over and over until I can't take it anymore. I reach for the smoke or the bottle to just pacify the cliffs of despair for just a little while. But the more I do the greater that cliff becomes. The sea of darkness grows ever deeper and its tide crashes ever harder against the rocks below. The the moon sets. There is no sun. The stars whir around, setting off total chaos in my universe. The cliff crashes violently into the oblivion. Several days pass. I almost drown. And only from a lack of swimming of which I am totally capable. I give in to the waves of obscurity and emptiness because they are all around me. Blinding me, calling to me. Strangling me. And although it is all too familiar it is a stranger to me. Fleeting and changing with time, becoming more powerful. More dangerous. Gaining on me.
There is a lighthouse though. And now I can see the bobbing boat tethered to the shore. The sun is rising and I can see that I am not far away. I wipe the water from my eyes and I can see blades of grass and small birds on the beach. They chirp and scurry about as they peck at small bugs on the sand. I smile and slowly make my way to the shore.
The shore is warm and welcoming. It holds me in its soft embrace. And I feel the warm light of the sun begin to give me hope again.
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