This morning I was reading about a 10 year old kid in England that put out a 10 track CD. He is making waves online and social media. The key point for me was that the kid doesn’t speak because he is autistic but he can sing. Hmm. What is stopping me again from being a beneficial presence in the world? I love reading these stories as they remind me to keep going. I often think about the minds of people with autism. What are they hearing, seeing or feeling? How is the world through their filters?
Are we stranger than they are or vice verse? How can we breakthrough and receive the gifts they bring to the world? The closest I have come to understanding the power of a mind that cannot communicate as we humans understand is being in the silence. I have come to appreciate the silence, not sure if I could do it all the time. As in not being able to express myself vocally, but I have come to appreciate the power in the silence. These moments are so magical, almost like the eye of the storm. Speaking about eye of the storm, during hurricane Gilbert, I remember sitting on the veranda back in the islands watching the hurricane.
Neighbours roofs where flying, their gates etc. Anything that wasn’t hammered down took flight. After the first part of the hurricane there was dead silence and people took to the streets to check in on each other. In the midst of the hustle and bustle on the streets there appeared a moment of beauty and stillness.I have never to this day experience this space physically again. The sky was breathtakingly gorgeous and the light that shone was like none other. As a child I remember being immovable at the house gate. I was standing in awe. I was standing in the space of violence and peace all at once. Some adults shouted “God is coming – it’s the end of the world.”
What I took from that experience was that the place of peace and beauty existed. I can hold that image in my mind and I can retrieve it just like I experienced it before. I had to practice this because ultimately I wanted to experience that moment again. Although I am not fond of the violence of a hurricane I can see today the majesty, the power of”something” greater than me. I think of my own ability to contain that majesty & power. My time of being peaceful as a dove and aggressive as a tiger/lion in any given moment. So often I use the familiar scripture – “if it wasn’t for the grace of God there goes I.”
Over the years I hungered for that peace I experienced and it took me some time to find it, WITHIN myself. Finding it has proven so beneficial as I CAN retreat for strength, courage, power, tenacity or replenishment – to grow through the hurricanes of my own life and experiences. The moments of my life when I perceive I am losing my head ( roof), boundaries (gates), thoughts( garbage cans or any such delights). When I am standing in the midst of my own hurricane I know the eye ( stillness) will come and I consciously choose to get there using my BREATHE….
Just remembering to breath makes all the difference. It opens up new possibilities and alternatives. It fosters clarity, definitely brings balance. Sometimes an experience might require ONE deep breathe, sometimes it may require SEVENTY TIMES SEVENTY..lol..Just Keep Breathing.
How do you fall still?
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