Clay was just an ordinary man
sitting under an ordinary gazebo where I stopped for shade and a rest after a
hike along the beach. He was just
sitting there because, as he eventually shared, he felt stuck in life. His phone was broken along with his car and
what he really needed was a job. Besides, he might like to move and he loves
maps and the night sky. For someone
stuck in life he was kind, clean, considerate and exacting in his choice of
words. We struck up a conversation about
those ordinary things people talk about under a gazebo and I noticed his ease with
the silent gaps as he choose the right word or words to express what he wanted
to say. Given Clay’s propensity to let
things be I was also encouraged to just be and allow the
silent gaps unfold.
He said he was just sitting still at
this time because he wasn’t certain what direction to take in life. The intelligence of such a decision seemed
profound and I wondered why, when stuck, I didn’t try this approach more often. He was content to just be, it sort of oozed off him. Somewhere in the conversation the topic of
society’s increasing need for material acquisitions arose and he said that for
him “less is more” and then to add emphasis he said, “no, really.” I agreed that less is more and, in fact,
there really wasn’t anything more than the present moment he and I were
sharing. Smiling wryly, he acknowledged
this truth.
As we both just sat imbibing on the
ordinary smallness of the day I enjoyed the basking of the extraordinary. I’m struck how something so simple can be the
best teacher and how in that moment I knew all was well. There was nothing more
or nothing less needed in those moments and my heart was filled with enough. Clay and his great intelligence will now always remind me to be still in the midst of stuckness and just allow. Thank you Clay!
How is your stillness and abiding
today? Do you have a regular practice
that slows you down so you may engage more deeply with what is actually
happening? Please share and, as always,
if you have comments or questions, I’d love to hear from you.
