Romance is Contageous

"The strong calm man is always loved and revered.

He is like a shade giving tree in a thirsty land,

or a sheltering rock in a storm." - James Allen

While assiduously aspiring for serenity and peace of mind ,my meditation felt completely distracted this morning. Dizzying fleeting thoughts raced in every direction, I felt a headache pulsing and my shoulders felt cramped. Boldly sitting upright, I tried to force my body to relax and every inner effort was militant and unnatural. I thought of my to do list and felt rushed to get this meditation over with. Suddenly my eyes popped open and spied my secret weapon in times like these. Reaching for “Ancient Secrets of Success for Today’s World”, I knew that guidance would come to me. After a huge sigh of exhaustion, my hands opened the book to a random page that read as follows:

"When the mind relies on the relative for creation then the relative in turn becomes the cause of the next cycle of creation and reproduces more of the relative. It creates more of what you already have. It re-produces more of the same. Nothing new is created. This is what is called being trapped in your past thoughts and not being able to think outside the box. It is living in the leftover thoughts of all your yesterdays forever into the future. This is called living the ripple effect of your past deeds."

What the hec did that have to do with my “fidgetyness” today? Impatiently closing my eyes, and breathing deeply, an urge cried out to me. The feeling of dryness and the desert filled me. There was no innovation in me. The desire to feel romantic and light arose in my imagination and I knew it was a day to be gentle with myself and elevate to a new level. The past few days of working on repetitive tasks and thinking the same thoughts depleted my creative energy…the energy I felt to desperate to find in my meditation.

In that moment the phone rang. A friend who I had not seen in a long time had written a love song for her fiancé and would I meet her in the park to figure out some chords to it? At first my tired body thought of all the reasons that I didn’t have time today…when the urge for inspiration tugged at my heartstrings again. Moments later we agreed on a time. I’ll bring my guitar and a blanket. She’ll bring the sweet corn on the cob.

Two hours later, feeling a bit shy, she revealed the song to me. In her feminine voice I could feel something ancient and primal. We agreed that a simple drumbeat was all that was needed. She sang again. She wanted to know how to improve the song and the only thing that seemed right to say was, “just see and feel every word you sing”. Together in that park, we lost ourselves to the romance of those words; the images danced in our brains and followed the soft drumbeat that felt like a giant heart conducting the entire Universe.

Imagination carried us to exhilaration and oneness. A great breeze started to blow around us. There was a loud cricket buzzing behind the trees and a mystical beautiful feeling enveloped us. There was no more headache. There was no tension in the shoulders. There were no to do lists. Yesterday had disappeared. There was only joy and this moment. When the singing stopped and the drumbeat ended, we laughed like little girls. I stared into her eyes and felt gratitude for that moment. The Universe had shown me the meaning of today’s insight.

My friend’s creativity inspired me, her love for her partner lifted me and the music enchanted me. She lay down on the blanket and asked me to sing for her. I sang her the new Rainbow song and a few others. We ate some delicious sweet corn and reminded ourselves of the importance of listening to that inner voice that ever sings us back to who we really are.

The art posting today is a dedication for all those who are madly in love with their partners and for all those who long to feel more of the romance and bliss of life.

Here's to shade giving trees,

Ganga