Finding the art in stillness

Since I was nineteen I've been on the move. It has become a way of life for me. Moving to a new place every couple of years. As I look to the foreseeable future my location may stay fixed for more time than I had planned. That being said, I came across a book that introduced me to the idea of being still or more so that art in staying still.

"The Art of Stillness" by Pico Iyer. The book is a companion piece to a Ted talk by the same person. I've been on a bit of a reading binge lately (not typical) and I'm glad my partner Kristen recommended it.

I'm a believer in expanding your environment. This is a main reason I advocate a life of travel to others. Traveling as you well know involves the opposite of being still, travel is all about movement. This being still concept seemed foreign because I've learned so much from doing the opposite.

This book created a new opportunity to learn and so I delved into it with an open mind.


STILLNESS

What happens when you stay still?

What I learned is that you can begin to appreciate the life around you. The life that slips by you like the clock hand moving forward without regard. The life you take for granted, distracted by gadgets, people, entertainment etc.

As I continued to read I learned about Leonard Cohen who took a hiatus on successful music career to live in silence as a monk. It demonstrated to me that even a man that has tasted life's pleasures may still be closest to bliss when he allows himself to look inward.  (RIP Leonard Cohen)

I began to tap into or more so 're-tap' into the appreciation of life. To marvel at what surrounds me even if I'm not half way across the globe.

I came to realize that stillness isn't the opposite of movement, rather its compliment.

In movement we seek.

In stillness we find.


"Going nowhere...isn't about turning your back on the world; it's about stepping away now and then so that you can see the world more clearly and love it more deeply" - Pico Iyer