“I learned that the interior of life was as rewarding as the exterior of life, and that my richest moments occurred when I was absolutely still.”
– Richard Bode
“Be still
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity”
~ Lao Tzu
“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore
Yes, I am still on the shore of the Rideau Lake. I have had the incredible exposure to ‘floating’ in the water in these past weeks. I’ve been introduced to Noodle as we like to affectionately refer to our string like floating device friend. Noodle is content to hold you up and let you enjoy the stillness of the water as it wraps around you. And if you can let go of the shore and all it represents, Noodle will provide you with a stillness otherwise often missed in our day to day hurry! A respite of sorts to sooth our soul and bring a harmony of life to our internal being! And there is no other ‘floating’ experience than the ultimate joy of a floating chair being pulled by the power of a kind soul as he paddles his paddle board around the quiet shores of a small local lake. Not a sound except the occasional cry of a loon and the melodic dip of the paddle.
We can find out a great deal about ourselves if we shut down the distractions. Quiet stillness can be accomplished anywhere. We only need make a commitment to ourselves to not miss the opportunities that are within all of us to find more of ourselves in the quiet and still moments we carve out for ourselves.
Webster’s Dictionary defines stillness as a state of freedom from storm or disturbance. And in these reflective moments on the Rideau I have allowed the opportunities of calmness and peacefulness, a hush of the world about me, an inner calm from the storms in my life.
I have had the privilege of purposeful floating but I suggest we all can make a purposeful decision to find the stillness in ourselves at any given moment. It is a choice and one well worth making. We all have the right to find our richest moments and to embrace our interior self. We have the right to choose colour in our lives! A practice well worth honouring! The gift of self!
Written by Deborah Lavender, BMG Senior Consultant
Photo Copyright: Sol Fin, 123RF
