Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Finding Forty, Day 88; Warmth

I've been reading The Tao of Inner Peace.   It's a beautiful book that speaks to me, but it is slow reading.  I feel like I have to read each passage and then reread it again to make sure I fully absorb the true meaning of the words.    This isn't a chore for me though.  I am so enamored by the message, I am more than willing to take it in again and again and even again.

One of the principles of Taoism is to become one with nature, which always gives me pause.   I'm not what I would call an outdoorsy girl who loves animals and hiking for hours.

And yet, I do love nature.   I've been having a love affair with the sun all my life.    These days, we rendezvouz in the mornings.    As I drive to work, heading east, the sun is my beacon.   I love driving my sporty, little, non soccer mom car as fast as I can without attracting attention from the police while blaring my favorite tunes.   This little ritual is always likely to put me in a good mood (provided some sappy, ridiculous love song about broken hearts doesn't find its way onto my iPod shuffle).  

As I exit onto the neighboring freeway, with the sun rising ahead of me, I feel a surge of happiness, a surge of hope.   To veer right and take the "big" bridge would steer me towards S, but I remain steadfast and always make my way to work.

The sun shines for me.   I can hear her urging me, "Stay strong, my love, stay true.   My rays will warm you and you will be alright."

It sounds hokey as I type this, but I honesty do feel this way.  

This bliss lasts for less than 5 minutes, but the strength of it is strong enough to see me through, at least for the morning hours.

As the day drones on, admittedly, this celestial high burns away, but I can always anticipate tomorrow's view, tomorrow's hope, tomorrow's promise...the promise that I am loved, I am strong, and I will be just fine...even all alone.

These things warm me.

5 comments:

  1. You're so hokey! I loved the vibe.

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  2. The sun also speaks to me. It says "I am mostly made of hydrogen. If you want a hug, my surface temperature is close to 10,000F. Luckily for you, you receive only a miniscule amount of my attention. Wear sunblock."

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  3. While the sun certainly is a part of nature, so is everything else.

    If you're enjoying Dreher's book, you might also be interested in "365 Tao" by Deng Ming-Dao. I've found it quite inspirational!

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  4. Early morning sun does that for me too.
    And fortunately the sun does rise every day. Sometimes there are clouds between it and me, but I know it's there just the same.

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  5. I know we're not supposed to do this anymore because of uv rays and all that, but nothing feels as peaceful to me as lying in the summer sun, eyes closed, literally taking in the rays, letting them fill me with indescribable warmth.

    At those moments, the world is perfect.

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