Sometimes it’s nice to sit back, let someone else drive and enjoy looking out the window. The scenery, thoughts and sensations coming and going of their own accord. Then perhaps a bump on the road or a random sound, image, itch or memory creates a sequence of subtle unfelt shifts of awareness and I am lost. It’s as though I was in a forest far off the path and unable to see my way back. The last thing I remember was looking out the window at the clouds passing by and now I am reliving the feelings of resentment, fear or disappointment of either a past or future event. Something shifted. Where did my awareness of the present go? Is there a path back through the twisting woods of my mind to the present and the beauty of the passing clouds?
For those of you old enough to have enjoyed “I Love Lucy” recall the assembly belt chocolate candy sequence. My recollection may be off a bit but I remember the chocolates moving along the beltway and Lucy had to quickly put them in boxes or decide small, medium or large another time when sorting eggs. She gets confused falls behind and ends up eating the chocolates or watching eggs fall and break all over the floor.
My mind as well as Lucy’s was caught up in either wanting, resisting or spacing out. The bump in the road, the indecision of small, medium or large jump started a recollection of wanting something to be different than it appears to be. Or perhaps an awareness of resistance grows stronger that I want something to stop. Or boredom sets in and my mind spaces out lost in the wilderness of the forest. How can I bring it back?
Perhaps a game of Go Fish will help.
The problem is that the mind retains circulating thoughts going round and round. It is as though the thoughts have nowhere to land. In the game of Go Fish when you get a match of 2 or 4 items you can pair them together put them down and move on to the next item; or thought that comes up. The match with thoughts is to name the thought. First which category, like small medium or large is it in. Is it a thought of wanting something to be different than it is? Is it resisting something that is happening? Or is it that drifting spaced out far away from being here right now feeling?
After naming wanting, resisting or spaced out name the specific want, resistance or space. Match what is happening with its name and put it down. The next impermanent thought, sensation, memory etc will replace it pretty soon and you can name that one too. In between the thoughts is a space of attention to what is actually happening around and within you. Your sense windows are always open but at this moment you are noticing what your senses are bringing in.
What if you do not like what you are thinking? Notice that as resisting and then name what thought or feeling you are resisting. “Oh, resisting again. This is what resisting feels like.” Ask as in Go Fish “Do you have any resisting?” or “Do you have the feeling of resisting?”
If it matches you win; put that thought/feeling down and return to the present moment of awareness. Be ready the next thought/feeling is not far behind.
Spiritual Gravity 