Change of place, change of pace…
Delightful post (subscription required) from a serviceman stationed in Afghanistan…
“As a Buddhist service member in Afghanistan (not to mention aboard a ship) there’s not an awful lot of privacy to employ for meditation. During the spring and summer months I found a massive ant colony to watch for a few minutes every day after dinner, usually bringing gifts in the form of sugar packets or the occasional Pop-Tart.
“While enjoying the sunset over the mountains I watched with child-like fascination as my new ant friends dissected and carried off the bounty. In those few moments I discovered a profound sense of inner peace. While I may not have been engaged in the typical way of meditation — sitting and focused breathing — I remained committed to the mindset of just “being.”
He ends his post with the realization that he’ll be coming home soon, and…
“Only now do suddenly I realize how much I’m going to be muttering to myself, ‘I wonder how Akbar is doing?…I wish I could see the Afghan mountains again. Are my ants going to have enough to eat this year…?”
Winning that quiet place of peace within, enables this young person to care, individually, for all things great and small, in what has become their personal universe… a shadowed recess in my spirit is lightened tonight…
Carolyn
This story is a beautiful example of choice……..
This soldier was not JUST experiencing and welcoming the wonder around him…. he did what many of us DON’T CHOOSE, or “can’t” do.
He DOES CHOOSE to clear his mind and accept peace and beauty, it’s available for the taking. He DOES go to a place in his head/heart where no amount of pain and suffering can penetrate.
This soldier had to first make a decision to mentally get away from the lonliness, fear, tragedy and hardship what he’d been calling home for many months.
There is far more to it than choosing… it takes practice and it requires directions or a road map, if you will.
Like mom used to say “getting there is half the fun”…. debatable.
road map
Lisa Dingel