I had decided to read a little after lunch, and found the warm spot by the window very comforting and inviting. So, I put my book down and closed my eyes. I was being called into the depths to discover something new. In this instance, I simply drifted off into some level of sleep that allowed me to … well, for lack of a better description, dream-walk. This is where there is a very vivid dream, though you are aware that you are in a very personal mental state. A very curious state of sleep, I might add.
This is the place where I go to think deeply, to meditate; in the place that holds all that I need to know, as well as the place that mends all sorrow. I rarely get to go there, because it takes so damn long to get there. I have to have complete silence, with the exception of natural quiet sounds of nature, or just the right soft music playing in the background. Actually, these conditional sounds in the background help to stimulate ideas and answers as well as good feeling and mirth. Unless proper conditions prevail, I only get to the day-dream stage. But, something shook me from the depths of my Know-It-All.
It was actually snowing! Snowflakes were making a rare appearance in our semi tropical to tropical zone. The sound was truly deafening, because it is simply such a magical sound that it’s almost thunderous. And, people who have never experienced snow have no idea what I’m talking about.
Though I was born in New York, and lived in St. Louis when I was very young, the first time I truly remember seeing and hearing snow fall was in Fort Worth, Texas. I ran straight out into the back yard and sat quietly in the middle of the falling snow, listening, getting enrapt in the enormous quietness and peace. I felt no cold at all, and almost instantly, I descended into my place of meditation, understanding and enlightenment.
People in northern climates experience the magic of snow at Christmas time, until delight becomes drudgery with days of shoveling snow, digging out cars, trudging through mud and muck, and being house-bound for days on end. For them, the magic is more than likely gone, and I truly understand how they can tire of the snow. There is indeed reason to celebrate spring. Still, I welcome the magic that snow falling brings at any time. I will also say that more poetry has been written romantically about snow than you can imagine.
There are many roads that will take me to the place I call my Know-it All, where I find the answers and inspiration for living, learning, loving and creating. To many people this is called meditation, and rightly so. Meditation to me is listening to God, or powers of a much higher dimension. Sometimes, I can get there by toiling in the yard, digging, weeding, raking, bagging, dragging and sweeping. I simply go off somewhere else and leave my physical self to the task. I’m in good company way off … somewhere else.
But, I’ve wandered away from the basis for this little dissertation. It’s all about moments of clarity. This is complicated, simply because for me, it’s hard to really understand exactly how these moments of clarity come about. What makes them clear to me? These moments of clarity are times when I can get a brief glimpse of the truth. The kind of truth that a person gets when they are least expecting it. It’s suddenly there for you, and you have to grab hold of it right then and there, because it might not ever pass through your Know-It-All again.
I suppose an example is required here. Sometimes, my Know-It-All surfaces in a waking moment. Someone close emotionally is talking to me, and I know they are sad and upset. Suddenly, I know exactly why they are sad, even if they don’t really know the real reason yet themselves. It’s not because I am any smarter or wiser, but simply because it’s just there for me to see, and to understand. No need to say anything at all, just understand. I’m also guessing that other people will see things in me that I don’t see yet, because I’m too busy in the feeling itself, and not into the true reasoning.
Sometimes, when you just have a feeling about something, or squint your eyes and really see something for the first time, though you’ve seen it every day; those are also moments of clarity. Sometimes it’s just hearing a subtle word or phrase; and sometimes, it’s something someone (maybe a perfect stranger) says to you that hits you in the face like an iron skillet. Now, that’s a moment of clarity.
I’ve asked several friends about this, and they have convinced me that I’m not just blowing sun-shine up anyone’s skirt. Every one of them they had said with conviction that they absolutely have these fleeting glimpses of truth. Having just a glimpse of this always makes me want to dive back into my Know-It-All for more.
Today, I will go out to start clearing out plants damaged in the winter freezes and trim up and try to save the damaged plants, making room for new growth. If left to my own resources for any length of time, I will go into my Know-It-All for more glimpses of truth and enlightenment. Before I know it, the tasks I set out to do will have been completed, and I will have been off to visit my Know-It-All once again to emerge with a clarity I didn’t know I could have. This is going to be great!
