Have you checked the page titled “My Escape” on this website yet? Underneath the header image, I inserted some narratives to describe where the photo was taken and the beautiful features around it. I felt like I had something more to say about it. So for this post, it’s an extension of that page.
If you’ve been here before, you’d agree that the view is simply spectacular. I love being here, and so does my dog. When we come up here on a sunny day, I tend to settle into my spot: a comfortable shady area away from direct sunlight but still exposed enough to see what’s going on. I often sit or lie down with my arms and legs stretched as far as I can, then just watch the day go by. When I’m in a zone like this, I usually close my eyes and try to meditate. It never ceases to amaze me how slowly time can pass when I take a moment to quieten down.
Of course, it’s not all calm and peaceful. Within minutes, many unwanted thoughts can pop up, and even the smallest noises from anywhere can shift my attention away. This has always been a challenge for me. But my philosophy here is that I don’t need to be a meditation master, I’m just happy to be a doer.
Over the past several months, whenever I was in this place, I did what I used to do – look intently into the horizon, where the sky and the ocean meet. In a non-religious sense, I would ask nature a whole range of questions about things that weren’t going particularly well in my life – fears or anxieties I was experiencing, in the hope of getting some clue or hint in return.
Time after time, as it turned out, my efforts seemed in vain. It felt like I was barking up the wrong tree. With no exception, it was a case of too many questions, too many “whys,” and no answers. As I bore with this, my frustration started to grow and my patience began to run out. I couldn’t help but question the power of nature. What’s the point of it anyway?
So I stopped asking.
Then one day, I came to the realization that all those times I wondered why I never got a response, nature had done its part to inspire and give me all the answers, but I hadn’t been listening.
What was it then?
Silence…
Ted Tsai 